


The night is cold when you aren't next to me

by Ritsumao (Crea)



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, This is just gonna be fluffy and cute and I wanna die, this ship is gonna be my death and I'm happy about that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-17
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2018-07-24 13:42:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 21,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7510589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crea/pseuds/Ritsumao
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of short ritsumao stories.</p><p>(9): "If the world were to end tomorrow, what would you do today?"<br/>(10): <em>“I just remembered…” a sleepy mumble leaves his mouth and Mao still doesn't move, suddenly feeling too awkward to do so, not even knowing where to place his hands while Ritsu is still clinging to him. “Once you woke me up… Without having to go through all this…”</em><br/>(11): “Hey, Maakun. Have you ever written a love letter?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is gonna be a mess.
> 
> Basically I have too many ritsumao writings and because the tag is kinda empty I thought it would be nice to share them? But posting them one by one would be spamming too much, and I'm bad coming up with titles so, yay!
> 
> The timeline will be all over the place because in some maybe they are dating and in others they aren't but I'll try to explain those things in the notes I guess?
> 
> In any case, I hope that whoever reads this enjoys it just as much (or even more) than I enjoyed writing this.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mao has gotten used to Ritsu clinging to him whenever they sleep together.

There are some things Mao has gotten used to when it comes to Ritsu.

Some of them are habits that even if he complains about and would actually like to fix them, he doesn't even try to change, like changing his clothes every morning or having to carry him all the way to school. Those things, while are still a little annoying, are what make Ritsu who he is, and he actually treasures those small moments he manages to spend with him.

He has gotten used to taking care of them, to the small details that make Ritsu exactly how he is. His laugh. The way his sweets look. His habit to fall asleep in every occasion he has. His occasional foul mouth. The way his hands move while he plays the piano. His tantrums. 

Mao has gotten used to all of them, and there isn't a single thing he'd change about Ritsu.

He has also gotten used to Ritsu clinging to him whenever they sleep together. 

Sharing bed is something that isn't unusual for them, a habit that started when they were kids and didn't bother to fix as they grew. There was no need for them to change it after all, none of them could really find a logic reason of why two childhood friends can't continue sleeping on the same bed as they grow up. (They could actually find a few reasons, but there's a difference between knowing what those reasons are and acknowledging what those reasons mean. There's also a difference between acknowledging what those reasons mean and accepting them and acknowledging what those reasons are but ignore them.)

That's why after so many years, Mao already knows that whenever Ritsu sleeps with him, he'll end up placing his arms around Mao's torso, bringing him closer to him and making his back rest against his chest. And while Mao closes his eyes and starts to fall asleep, he'll feel Ritsu's lips pressing carefully against his neck, for some reason that not even he understands, making the boy smile and relax as he knows that Ritsu won't leave his side, that even when he wakes up, he'll still have his arms around him. Somehow it makes him feel safe. Somehow it makes him feel that there isn't really any other place he wants to be in. Somehow, at some point, he started believing that that's the place he belongs to, between Ritsu's arms.

But for some reason, this time Ritsu isn't placing his arms around him. Mao can't feel the warmth of his body, the gentle kisses being placed on his neck or his breath brushing against his skin, making a shiver --that he doesn't want to admit as pleasant-- go down his spine.

It worries him, and for some reason it makes him feel a little lonely, even if Ritsu is just a few centimetres away from him.

For a while he tries to ignore it. Maybe if he lets time pass, Ritsu will end up doing the same as always.

He doubts that Ritsu is angry at him, otherwise he wouldn't have accepted sleeping with him, besides, they were both in a good mood just before they turned off the lights.

Maybe something is bothering him, maybe he's thinking about it… Mao would like to help if that's that's the case, but he can't find a good way to ask about it.

Or it could also be that he has just fallen asleep.

Then again, it's nighttime, and for some odd reason Ritsu always feels strangely energetic during night hours.

“Ritsu.” He decides to call his name finally, his voice already sounding a little more shaky than he'd like, showing his worry already. “Are you awake?” Mao asks, this time hoping that he has sounded more firm.

“Hm?” Is the only reply he gets from his friend, but it's already enough to answer his question, he is indeed awake.

Mao turns around to face Ritsu and thanks to the faint moonlight that enters through the window, he's able to see Ritsu's expression, his eyes widening a little in surprise as both boys have their faces dangerously close to each other. Not like they make any effort to put any distance between them.

“What's wrong?” Ritsu asks with more curiosity than worry on his voice. Just like Mao has gotten used to sleep while being hugged by Ritsu, Ritsu has gotten used to see Mao falling asleep while not facing him, always showing him his back. For Mao to face him like this, it sure was rare.

Mao frowns a little, that's exactly what he wanted to ask, so he finds it a little strange to hear Ritsu making that question.

“That's what I wanted to ask you.” He admits. “Is there anything wrong?” 

Ritsu blinks twice in surprise, not understanding why would Mao ask him that. 

“Why do you ask?” 

There's a small silence when he gives Mao that reply as he immediately understands that maybe he jumped to conclusions too fast, that maybe there wasn't anything wrong with Ritsu. Maybe he just didn't feel in the mood to be clingy tonight.

“You aren't acting like usual.” Mao still gives him an honest reply, sounding a little more concerned than he should.

“Like usual?” Ritsu still doesn't seem to understand what the problem is, or if he does, he sure is trying to make Mao specify what does he mean.

“You know, the usual.” He replies more naturally than Ritsu thought he would. “Like putting your arms around me.” It's as soon as he says that that he starts regretting opening his mouth. 

He sees the corners of Ritsu's mouth going up slowly, not in a smile of happiness, but a smug smile.

“You want me to hug you?” He asks in an obviously teasing tone and Mao realises that if he goes along with Ritsu's game, he'll only embarrass himself more than he already has.

“Good night.” Mao turns around once again, giving his back to Ritsu, deciding that there is no reason to worry about him after all and closing his eyes, trying to fall asleep.

“Maa-kun?” The teasing tone on Ritsu's voice still hasn't disappeared as Mao feels him getting closer. “Did you get angry?” He asks with fake concern, almost as if he knew --actually, he knows-- that Mao can't really get angry at him. “I'm sorry~” He continues speaking, with the same mocking tone as before.

It's then when Mao feels Ritsu's arms around him, just like usual.

Except that Ritsu has decided to continue with his teasing, and has placed his arms lower than usual, around his waist.

He also feels Ritsu's head resting against his shoulder, feeling his warm breath against his ear.

“Forgive me?” He whispers into his ear, making Mao feel a shiver --that once again he won't admit as pleasant-- go down his spine.

“I get it, I get it!” Mao's reply comes out a little louder than he would want. He moves a little, trying to stop feeling Ritsu's breath against his ear that for some reason feels too hot right now, just like the rest of his face. “I should have stayed quiet…” He mumbles to himself, but Ritsu manages to hear him and accidentally lets a small laugh scape from his lips.

He decides to move his arms up and return to the position he always places himself in when he sleeps with Mao, with his head at the back of Mao's so he can kiss his neck, Mao's back resting against his chest and his arms around his torso. Ritsu has the feeling, that if he had kept his arms around Mao's waist for the whole night, the poor boy wouldn't be able to sleep at all and while the idea of keeping Mao awake all the night is tempting, he doesn't want to make him restless. At least not yet.

“Maa-kun.” Ritsu sing-songs his name, burying his face on his red hair. “I love you~”

The words bring a smile to Mao's face.

“Me too.” He replies softly, placing his arms on top of Ritsu's.

And Ritsu knows, that the ‘I love you’ that Mao has told him has a different meaning that the one Ritsu has told him, that Mao still doesn't understand the true meaning of his words, that he hasn't really realised his feelings.

But still, it's alright. Even if the meaning is different, Ritsu knows, that the feeling is real.

And that's all he needs for now. He won't rush Mao.

  
He presses his lips against Mao's neck, placing small kisses as he feels how the boy, his so called childhood friend, the person he loves the most, falls asleep between his arms.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "But Maa-kun is warmer than any bed." Ritsu replied already with his eyes closed, slowly falling asleep and his voice coming out almost like a mumble.  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess how many times I can write about Ritsu and/or Mao falling asleep, the answer might surprise you.  
> That trope is really easy to use with this ship after all...  
> They are already dating in this one, I guess.

It was something that almost never happened, but Ritsu was finding himself unable to sleep.  
  
It wasn't because he wasn't sleepy. It was just that he couldn't find the correct posture to sleep in. Which was also weird, since he never had trouble with that. Sometimes he had even managed to fall asleep while standing up.  
  
Then again, the room was really cramped, full of objects and no matter in which part of the floor he lied down he'd accidentally end up on top of something and getting uncomfortable.  
  
He looked around the room hoping that he'd find a spot to sleep in peacefully. His eyes immediately spotted the bed and Maa-kun sitting on the floor, his back against the bed as he read a book.  
  
Ritsu smirked looking at him.  
  
"Maa-kun~ open your arms~?" He asked with a playful tone on his voice as he got closer to his childhood friend.  
  
"What for?" Mao asked, but still obeyed Ritsu's command and even left the book he was reading on the floor before extending his arms as if he were going to give a hug.  
  
It was then when Ritsu sat between his legs, leaning his back against Mao's chest and grabbing his arms to wrap himself with them.  
  
"Good night~" He said and without giving more explanations he rested his head on Mao's shoulder, using it as pillow.  
  
"If you want to sleep you have a proper bed right here." Mao complained but didn't make any effort to make move his arms away from Ritsu, still wrapping him in something similar to a hug as Ritsu put his arms on top of Mao's. He was sure that even like that, he could still move them away easily, but for some reason he couldn't find the motivation to do so.  
  
"But Maa-kun is warmer than any bed." Ritsu replied already with his eyes closed, slowly falling asleep and his voice coming out almost like a mumble. He knew that the reason Maa-kun was sitting on the floor instead of on the bed was because he was letting it free just in case Ritsu wanted to sleep there. That's how kind Maa-kun is after all. But he really meant what he had said, the warmth that Maa-kun gave him, the safety he felt between his arms was definitely better than any bed he would ever find. 

Mao sighed hearing Ritsu's reply.

“Ritsu, I can't continue reading like this.” He informed him, but it didn't sound like he actually minded about that. Truth was that even if he managed to hold the book again, he probably wouldn't able to pay attention and read even a single letter. After all, observing Ritsu from so close as he slept was something far more interesting.

Mao himself was surprised about how after so many years he still didn't get tired of it. About how he still enjoyed every second he managed to spend with him even if the other was just sleeping and never get tired of it, actually wanting for more.

He wondered if it was the same for Ritsu.

“Ritsu~? Hey, Ritsu?” He started calling him out softly, moving his head forward to see his face but trying to make sure that he wouldn't move his shoulder, Ritsu was using it as pillow after all and he didn't want to make him have to move his head, though it was difficult to do that. “Ritchan, are you asleep?” He asked, still unable to see his face. All he could see was the side of his head.

Mao stayed silent for a while waiting for a reply, but Ritsu wouldn't speak a single word. All he could hear was the sound of his breath.

“I guess you are…” He sighed once again. Unable to move his arms or any part of his body at all, not being able to see Ritsu's sleeping face… somehow he felt a little upset.

Mao closed his eyes as well, hoping that he'd be able to fall asleep as well. He had nothing better to do after all. He tightened his grip around Ritsu a little, pulling him closer. It did seem more like a hug now and he was starting to feel glad that Ritsu decided to ignore his comment about being able to sleep in a bed. He started to understand what did Ritsu mean when he said that he was warmer than any bed, because now that he was feeling Ritsu's warmth he didn't want to let it go.

But he was unable to fall asleep. Unlike Ritsu, Mao didn't need to sleep an approximate amount of twenty hours every day after all.

Mao opened his eyes and he was greeted with the sight of Ritsu's head, once again he found himself feeling upset about not being able to see his face properly.

“Ritchan?” He asked softly, a whisper, almost as if he was scared to wake him up. He didn't get any reply, confirming once again that he was indeed asleep.

And Mao smiled, having an idea.

He placed his lips on top of his head, giving him a small kiss. Seeing that he wasn't getting any reply, he decided to move his lips a little to the side, placing another kiss and once again, seeing that he didn't get any reply he repeated the process, slowly getting closer to Ritsu's ear.

It was a little embarrassing to do that, but Ritsu wouldn't know about it so it should be fine.

“You're still asleep, right?” He asked just to make sure, he could feel how his face getting warmer with every kiss and he was sure that if Ritsu had been awake he wouldn't dare to do something like that.

As expected, Ritsu didn't answer and for some reason that made Mao feel relieved.

He should had stopped at that moment, but something inside him told him that this was his chance to show his affection towards Ritsu. After all, it was easier to do it when he was asleep, somehow it felt less embarrassing.

He placed his lips close to his ear, but this time he didn't place a kiss on it.

“Ritchan, I love you.” He whispered, a smile appearing on his face without realising. For some reason it felt incredibly nice to say it, and part of him hoped that Ritsu would be able to hear him in his dreams. “I really love you a lot.” He said in the same soft voice as before, this time placing a kiss on top of Ritsu's ear.

“I love you too~” The sudden reply made Mao release his grip from Ritsu and jolt surprised. He could feel his heart beating so fast against his chest that it wouldn't be a surprise if it suddenly came out. He didn't want to think about what shade of red colour his face had reached already.

“Yo-you are awake.” Mao stated the obvious and Ritsu slowly turned around to face Mao, putting his legs around his waist and his arms around his neck. Mao could see a nasty and proud grin on Ritsu's face as he was letting him without any chance to escape.

“I am~” Ritsu's voice sounded way too playful and teasing, meaning that he had probable already planned the whole thing since the moment he has asked Mao to let him sleep on him. “But Maa-kun, I was half asleep and I'm not very sure if I heard you right.” He said, his voice sounding almost a little sad. Almost, because the smile on his face showed that  he was obviously faking it. “Maa-kun, can you repeat what you said~?” He asked, placing his forehead against Mao's, erasing any space that there could have been between the two of them.

Mao looked away embarrassed, but having Ritsu so close to him made impossible to keep his gaze away from him.

“You already heard it, right?” Mao replied, his voice shaking with embarrassment. He knew that Ritsu wouldn't leave him alone until he got what he wanted, but at least he had to try.

“But Maa-kun, I was half asleep~ I didn't hear it well~” Ritsu told him once again, this time pouting. Mao thought that doing something like that was unfair, there was no way he could keep quiet when Ritsu was acting like that, even if he was sure that he had heard him correctly, that he had probably been awake the whole time, Mao had to accept defeat.

“I love you.” Mao finally said, looking directly at Ritsu but without raising his voice too much, almost as if he was scared that someone might overhear them. Those words were and would always be directed only to Ritsu, so it was only normal for him to not want any other to hear them. Even when they were alone, he still wanted to make sure that no one but Ritsu would be able to hear him.

Ritsu smiled, a genuine smile of happiness that for a moment made Mao regret being so stubborn about telling him his feelings. If he had known that Ritsu would make a face like that, he'd have told him as soon as he asked for those words.

“I love you too.” Ritsu replied, still smiling but the playful and teasing tone that he had been using until that moment had been replaced with a serious yet tender one, a voice that made Mao feel that he was indeed loved by Ritsu and without realising had brought a smile on his face too.

Mao decided to finally put his arms around Ritsu again, bringing him to a hug as Ritsu pressed his lips against Mao's. It wasn't the first time they kissed, but for some reason it felt more special than any other. After all, even if Ritsu already knew about Mao's feelings, even if he had showed how he felt really often, it still was a little unusual that he would actually put into words those feelings.

When their lips got separated, Ritsu still was smiling, but Mao could notice that he was looking sleepy.

Mao placed his hand on Ritsu's head and softly pulled him against his shoulder so he could use it as pillow again.

“You should rest.” He told him as he started brushing Ritsu's hair with his hand, almost as if he was caressing his head so he could fall asleep sooner.

Ritsu's reply was a soft mumble that Mao couldn't really understand what he wanted to say, but he still smiled feeling Ritsu nuzzling against his neck, making Mao feel his breath.

  
“Sleep well, Ritchan.” He said, once again placing a kiss on his head as he felt how the boy he loved fell asleep on his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for everyone who left kudos until now!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"Don't they say that wounds heal faster if you lick them?" He says, trying to sound as innocent as he can._   
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahaha I didn't forget to update this thing, I was simply dead trying to rank in not one but two events.  
> So I was dead yes.  
> Well in any case, thanks for everyone who gives kudos, bookmarks and leaves comments, it really makes me happy that people are enjoying my senseless writings ;w;
> 
> And believe it or not, this time I didn't write sleepy ritsumaos.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Ritsu closes the notebook and leaves the pen next to it, almost throwing it away as he smiles proudly.   
  
"Maa-kun~ I finished homework~" He informs, looking at his childhood friend who is sitting at the other side of the table, right in front of him.   
  
The red head hums hearing his words, still not taking his eyes away from his own notebook as he keeps writing down more and more things.   
  
"Well done." Maa-kun tells him, almost an automatic response that makes Ritsu pout. He likes hearing praises from Maa-kun, but he doesn't like them when they are so half-hearted, it's obvious that he didn't even hear what he said.   
  
But Ritsu understands that whatever Maa-kun is doing must be important.   
  
That doesn't mean that he likes it though, in the end, he should be Maa-kun's top priority.   
  
It isn't homework, that for sure. Ritsu is sure that Maa-kun has finished that long ago, actually, he even asked him to let him copy it, Ritsu was feeling too lazy to do it himself after all, (plus, he didn't really know what did the teacher send as homework as he had slept through almost... No, actually, the whole class,) but Maa-kun forced him to work, promising that he would praise him and give him a reward once he worked properly.   
  
But Ritsu had worked properly and he wasn't getting any praise or reward.   
  
How mean.   
  
"Maa~kun~" He calls, playfully, but the other boy simply ignores him, too concentrated on his work.   
  
Ritsu doesn't like it, definitely.   
  
But he knows that if he interrupts him he will get angry at him, and that means that he really won't get any reward.   
  
He leans his head against the table, watching Maa-kun.   
  
Maybe he should sleep until Maa-kun has finished working, sleeping is always good, but observing Maa-kun doesn't seem like something bad either.   
  
He looks a little frustrated, counting with his hand once in a while, biting his lip, scratching his head and writing down things one after another without stopping.   
  
If it's not homework yet he's taking it so seriously then it means it's student council work.   
  
Which means that it could take for a loooooong while.   
  
Ritsu sighs.    
  
He's too impatient to wait until Maa-kun finished to get his reward, and he's sure that Maa-kun also deserves a small break.   
  
"Maa~kun~" He calls once again, not moving an inch from the spot he is in, his head still leaning on the table, his ear glued to the wood making him able to hear all the things that Mao is writing down.   
  
Mao, of course, doesn't even bother to look at him, probably he hasn't even heard him. So he keeps writing, still biting his lip, Ritsu even notices that there's a frown in his face.   
  
He really needs to rest, Maa-kun is getting more and more frustrated with whatever he's doing.   
  
"Ma~a~kun~" He tries once again, this time lazily raising his head a little, trying to face Maa-kun properly.    
  
Still no reply.   
  
"Maa~..."   
  
"What do you want!?" Maa-kun finally looks away from the papers and looks at Ritsu, slamming his hands against the table and even if he does sound angry, Ritsu can't help but smile because, he's finally looking at him. "I'm busy now, can't you wait until later?" He asks, and Ritsu notices that he licks his lip, exactly the spot that he was biting earlier.   
  
That's interesting.   
  
Really interesting.   
  
Ritsu's smile widens.   
  
"But Maa-kun, I finished homework." He explains, child-like selfishness showing in his voice.   
  
"And...?" Maa-kun asks, raising an eyebrow.   
  
"You promised me a reward." Ritsu pouts, not too seriously because the idea he has just had is making him far too happy to actually feel upset. He already knows what his reward is going to be.   
  
Even if Maa-kun complains.   
  
Maa-kun sighs hearing his words.   
  
"I will give you a reward later." He promises, taking his own again and getting ready to continue with his work, thinking that the conversation is over.   
  
But of course, it isn't over, it won't be over until Ritsu decides so.   
  
"But Maa-kun," he says, leaning closer, a smile on his face that clearly shows that he doesn't really have any good intentions. "I want my reward now~" He says, playfully, sticking his tongue out as he leans more and more forward, getting closer to his Maa-kun.   
  
"Ritsu, can't you see that I'm--" Before he can finish the sentence, he feels Ritsu's hand grabbing the necktie from his uniform, forcing him to get closer to Ritsu.    
  
And then he feels his tongue brushing against his lip, licking the small wound that has opened there, cleaning it from the small amount of blood that is coming out.   
  
"What are you doing?" He manages to ask someway, completely flustered and trying to look away, but his eyes always end up lying on Ritsu.   
  
Ritsu stops licking his lip, leaning a little backwards but still not releasing his grip from Maa-kun's necktie, forcing him to stay close.   
  
"Don't they say that wounds heal faster if you lick them?" He says, trying to sound as innocent as he can.   
  
"I can do that myself..." He complains, not really understanding the logic of why would Ritsu want to lick his wounds.   
  
"But Maa-kun," Ritsu's voice sounds more serious this time, even if he is still smiling. "I told you, I want my reward." He explains, and Mao sees something in his eyes, a glint or something similar, that can only be described as thirst.   
  
Mao gulps, not in fear or distrust, but instinct because even if he knows that this isn't going to end well, that Ritsu could definitely jump to him like a hungry beast in any moment, he can't really say that he dislikes the idea.   
  
And then Ritsu leans forward again.   
  
It isn't a kiss, Mao thinks, or at least, he can't really consider it a kiss.   
  
Ritsu is simply nibbling his lip, his fangs pressing the skin though not enough to break it as he still licks the wound, drinking the small about of blood that comes out from it.   
  
He isn't doing anything in return so, for Mao's standards, that's not a kiss.   
  
Ritsu isn't doing this only because he wanted a reward and because Maa-kun ignored him, but also because he had found himself unable to ignore the faint smell of blood.   
  
Maa-kun is afraid of sharp things, which includes his fangs, and that means that he can't bite Maa-kun, and thus, he can never drink his blood.   
  
So he wants to make the best out of this chance, even if it's a small amount of blood, he still enjoys every drop he gets to taste as if it was the most precious thing he will ever get to taste.   
  
It's when the wound stops bleeding that Ritsu finally takes his mouth away from Maa-kun's lip, still feeling the iron taste of his blood but feeling that it isn't enough. It probably will never be enough, but for now, this will have to do.   
  
Maa-kun is simply staring at him, his face red and obviously not knowing what to say. He hasn't complained, not now and not while Ritsu was licking his lip, so it must mean that he didn't dislike it at all.   
  
For some reason that makes him feel proud.   
  
"Thank you for the meal~" He says, jokingly, just to see how will Maa-kun react.   
  
And Mao thinks that it really is unfair.   
  
He looks at the work on his table for a moment and then back at Ritsu and it's unfair, the choice that he has to make is really unfair.   
  
Ritsu has gotten to enjoy himself at his fullest, doing whatever he wanted with Mao, but just because Ritsu is satisfied, it doesn't mean that Mao is.   
  
Because in the end, he didn't get to do anything.   
  
But he knows that if he admits that to Ritsu, he will never get his work done.   
  
And work is important.   
  
Something inside tells him that Ritsu is definitely more important than whatever work he has to do, nd he agrees, but...   
  
He takes the pen, feeling that just by doing that he has shown an incredible amount of self restraintment.   
  
"Ritchan," he says, his voice almost a whisper, "I also want a reward when I finish." He requests, looking at his notebook as he starts writing down again, too embarrassed to actually look at Ritsu while he says that.   
  
Ritsu smiles once again when he hears that.   
  
"I will give you the best reward~" he teases, hoping that Maa-kun will get to finish his work soon.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"You know, Maa-kun," he begins to speak, softly, putting his arms around Maa-kun while the other boy shows no resistance to this action, "there are three things in this world that are absolute."_   
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have this and habit of writing instead of sleeping which, but well thanks to that this whole mess of short stories exists.
> 
> This one is so embarrassing that I want to cry, I love fluffy cute stuff I'm sorry.

The first thing he hears when he wakes up is a heartbeat, loud enough for only him to hear, having his ear pressed against his chest, carefully listening the constant and relaxing sound.  
  
And then he feels a hand on his head, gently brushing his hair, playing with it in a way that makes him want to fall asleep again. It feels way too comfortable, making him feel safe, at home.  
  
That, added to the tiredness he still feels, as if he hadn't rested enough, really makes him want to close his eyes again.  
  
If he fell asleep right here and right now, he's sure that Maa-kun would still be here when he opened his eyes again.  
  
"Oh, you are finally awake." Maa-kun says as he stops moving his hand on Ritsu's head, something that the other boy doesn't seem to like, since he pushes his head against Maa-kun, like a cat that wants to be pet.  
  
Maa-kun of course fulfills Ritsu's requests, even if he hasn't told him anything he still knows what does he want. He has known him for too long after all, when it comes to small things like this, he's sure he can't fail.  
  
Ritsu wants to close his eyes again, continue sleeping while Maa-kun spoils him, but he realizes that maybe it is time to wake up.  
  
After all, he's still on top of Maa-kun, hugging him, and Ritsu is sure that as long as he stays like this, Maa-kun won't be able to go anywhere. Which actually only encourages him to stay like this but...  
  
"Good morning..." He yawns, lifting his body to let Maa-kun some space to move but already missing the warmth that his body was giving him.  
  
"The morning was over long ago," Maa-kun sighs, almost sounding like he's scolding Ritsu, "the sun is setting already." He adds and this time he does sound a little grumpy.  
  
Ritsu looks in the direction of the window and he sees the orange lights in the sky and he finally notices that the room is indeed too dim even if it's supposed to be daytime.  
  
He smiles, proudly, before looking back at Maa-kun.  
  
"Soon it will be my time to shine~" he jokes, letting himself fall on top of Maa-kun once again as he sees that his boyfriend doesn't seem to have the intention to move.  
  
"You slept all day." Maa-kun complains, but almost instinctively puts his arms around Ritsu.  
  
"I was tired." Ritsu says, nuzzling his face against Maa-kun's neck, filling himself with that warmth that even if it was for a few moments he had missed so much.  
  
Maa-kun sighs.  
  
"I should be the one saying that..." He whispers, his voice coming out a little muffled as he too has decided to bury his face against Ritsu's shoulder.  
  
Ritsu feels Maa-kun's face against his skin feels a little warmer than the rest of his body. He's blushing, probably. He still gets embarrassed when he remembers the things they did the previous night, doesn't he? How cute.  
  
Ritsu lets out a small laugh, which doesn't seem to please Maa-kun.  
  
"What's so funny...?" He asks, raising his head and Ritsu can see that he's indeed blushing, though he wonders if his laugh has increased the red in his face.  
  
"You stayed with me aaaaall day." He says not being able to hide his happiness at all.  
  
"That's because you wouldn't let me move..."  
  
"Liar," Ritsu interrupts him sulking a little, making Maa-kun unable to ignore his words. "Usually you would wake me up without thinking it twice..." He sighs, he knows that today is a holiday, otherwise there is no way Maa-kun would allow himself to laze around all day, but he still knows, that if Maa-kun had wanted to be in another place, he would have woken him up. "Maa-kun should be more honest with his feelings..." He complains, "like me~" he adds proudly after that.  
  
Maa-kun stares at him for a while after that, before flicking his forehead with a grumpy expression of his face.  
  
"Maa-kun meanie... Why did you do that?" Ritsu complains, covering the spot in which Maa-kun has hit him with a hand. "It hurts..." He complains, obviously exaggerating the pain that he is feeling.  
  
"When are you honest with your feelings?" Maa-kun asks, not ask or upset just... Sceptical.  
  
Ritsu sighs, sinking deeper into the blanket and once again placing his head on Maa-kun chest, wanting to hear that heartbeat again.  
  
"You know, Maa-kun," he begins to speak, softly, putting his arms around Maa-kun while the other boy shows no resistance to this action, "there are three things in this world that are absolute." He states, closing his eyes while he hears Maa-kun's heartbeat, hoping that he will stay awake for long enough to say everything he wants to.  
  
When he thinks that he has Maa-kun's interest, he continues talking.  
  
"The first thing is that, unfortunately, the sun comes out every morning." he can hear Maa-kun's soft laugh when he says that, his chest going up and down with his breath.  
  
Ritsu can't help but smile himself as well.  
  
"It's annoying, but I understand that humans need it to live." He sighs, nuzzling his face onto Maa-kun's chest, this is all the warmth he needs to live.  "The second thing is that time only goes forward, you can't go back neither stop it..." The way he says it, with a hint of sadness in his voice, makes Maa-kun start brushing his hair once again, a sign that he is here, that he isn't leaving Ritsu.  


“What's the third one?” Maa-kun asks, still brushing his hair, and Ritsu is glad that he has spoken, otherwise he could have fallen asleep again.

It's Maa-kun's fault, he feels too safe with him, he keeps letting his guard down.

“The third one…” He starts, his voice sounding sleepy, “is that I love you.” Ah, there it is, as soon as he has said that, Maa-kun's heart has started beating faster, the relaxing tempo from before being broken and substituted by a chaotic one, with no rhythm. It's still a wonderful sound though, Ritsu thinks, louder and definitely not as pleasant as the sound Maa-kun's heart makes when he's relaxed, but he still prefers this one.

Ritsu grabs Maa-kun's hand, the one that was playing with his hair, and holds tightly onto it.

“Even when I die and my body becomes bones… Even when my bones become ash and there's nothing left, even then and even after… I will always love you.” Ritsu claims, his head still resting against his chest, the sound of Maa-kun's heart becoming even louder and more erratic, almost as if it it was about to break, sounding against his ear.

“That's… A little morbid…” is all that Maa-kun manages to say.

“You think so? I thought it was roman…” He can't finish speaking when he looks up, meeting Maa-kun's gaze.

His face is completely red, that's the effect that Ritsu's words have had on him, but Ritsu can't even pay attention to that.

His eyes, those green and beautiful eyes, so full of life, they are looking directly at him, at Ritsu, like there isn't anything else in the world that could be more important, like there isn't anything else I'm the world at all.

Ritsu can understand just by seeing Maa-kun, the words of love that he always struggles so much to say, the feelings that he isn't able to convey properly, all of them somehow being conveyed in a simple gaze.

And Ritsu feels that his heart stops beating for a second, before it starts beating erratically, a rapid rhythm that it almost hurts him but that he can't come to dislike.

He can't speak, he can't look away, he can barely breathe while Maa-kun continues looking at him like that.

Maa-kun finally moves, placing his free hand on Ritchan’s chin and making him lift his head, before moving forward and pressing his lips against Ritchan’s.

And it feels like it's the first time they kiss, even if they have kissed a hundred times before and even if they know they will know they will kiss a hundred times more, and a hundred more after those and forever, it feels like they will never get tired of the feeling.

Ritsu doesn't even realize it, but at some point he has stopped grabbing Maa-kun's hand and instead he has placed both of his arms around Maa-kun's neck, deepening the kiss, making the innocent and slow touch of their lips become more passionate, a small muffled sound leaving Maa-kun's mouth when Ritsu presses his whole body against him, which makes Ritsu smile, feeling that he has won something.

Maa-kun has to break the kiss, needing to breathe, panting softly as he didn't expect for Ritsu to take the lead so… Aggressively.

“I love you.” He manages to say once his breath has mostly returned to normal, the words feeling so nice in his mouth and ears that he has to hold himself from saying them again.

And then he sees, for a small fraction of second, a small glint on Ritsu's eyes that he already knows very well what does it mean.

“Maa-kun,” Ritsu calls him, his voice making Maa-kun's body shiver in excitement, “I'm going to make sure you feel tired tomorrow too~” he adds, before kissing him once again, being even more assertive than before.

  
And Maa-kun thinks that if he gets to rest all day with Ritsu tomorrow too, then, he doesn't really mind how exhausted he will make him feel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tbh I still don't know if I should use "Ricchan" or "Ritchan" because everyone uses different ones and it confuses me and I end up using both ahaha... Fortunately I think I haven't messed up and used both in a story...  
> Well as always thank you to everyone who reads it, specially to those who leave comments, kudos and bookmark!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was kind of a request I got?  
> I enjoyed writing it, requests are always good after all...  
> I don't have much to say apart from that, I'm still dying with events!

He became active during the night, that's why with the moon being out in the sky, Ritsu didn't feel any need to sleep.   
  
But unlike him, his childhood friend seemed to lose all energy once the sun set. He knew that it was usual for humans to start feeling sleepy during the night, but it still surprised him sometimes, how different Maa-kun and he were in that aspect.   
  
In that and a lot more.   
  
But it didn't really matter. It was thanks to their differences that they managed to complete each other after all.   
  
Ritsu smiled seeing how his dear Maa-kun rubbed his eyes, trying to stay awake while finishing the paperwork of the student council.   
  
Such an earnest child. Ritsu was sure that he didn't need to finish everything that night, but seeing Maa-kun trying his best was really cute, it made Ritsu smile.   
  
But Maa-kun shouldn't overwork himself.    
  
And since Ritsu was staying at his place for the night --he was running away from his brother, something that Mao still didn't understand very well but didn't complain too much when Ritsu forced his way towards his room. Ritsu staying to sleep with him had become something too usual in the last years.-- He decided that he'd take care of Maa-kun, even if it was only a little.   
  
"Maa-kun, come over here." Ritsu requested, sitting on the floor.   
  
As if Mao had completely forgotten that Ritsu was in the same room, he turned back, almost surprised to find his childhood friend there.   
  
Ritsu forgave him for forgetting, because he looked exhausted. Otherwise he'd be sulking and teasing him about how little Maa-kun cared about him.   
  
"Ritsu... I have to finish working..." was the reply he got, Maa-kun's voice sounded sleepy and tired, but he still went back to work, completely ignoring Ritsu's request.   
  
How inconsiderate.   
  
Ritsu pouted, he wasn't going to give up so easily.   
  
"Maa-kun~ Maa-kun~ come over here, come on~" he started saying loudly, making sure that his words would reach Maa-kun and make him unable to pay attention to anything else. "If you don't come over here I'll be the one going to you~" he threatened playfully.   
  
Mao turned back once again, glaring at him. But looking as sleepy as he did, he really didn't look intimidating at all. Ritsu couldn't avoid a small snort coming out. If Maa-kun had heard it or simply had decided to ignore it, he didn't know.   
  
The red haired boy studied the possibilities, as well as his sleep deprived mind could let him think. It looked that it was either going to Ritsu so he would stop annoying him, which would mean to stop working, or continue working and having to deal with Ritsu's constant interruptions.   
  
He sighed. When put in that way, it was obvious which one was the best option. Or it was just that he didn't want to think for too long.   
  
Whatever was the case, he moved from his workplace and slowly moved closer to Ritsu, just then realising how tired he actually felt. He sat in front of his childhood friend, close to him just like he had requested.   
  
"So? What do you want?" Mao asked, somewhere between annoyed and exhausted.   
  
Ritsu frowned while looking at him, a small pout appearing on his face.   
  
"Not there." He said, moving his hand and patting the floor next to him. "Here." He explained, a small smile appearing on his face.   
  
"What's the difference...?" Maa-kun asked, but he still stood up and moved to sit next to Ritsu, just like he had told him to do. "So? What do you want to do?" Next thing he knew after he had spoken was that Ritsu's hand was on his head, gently pushing him to his lap and making him lie down. It took him a few seconds to process what had happened, as he was too tired to think clearly. Actually, the first thought he had was that he had fell down. "Ritsu?" now that he was lying, the sleepiness and tiredness increased, as if they were waiting exactly for that moment to take over Mao's body.   
  
"It's a special service." Ritsu explained, softly, with a smile that was both playful and full of pride. He was taking care of Maa-kun after all, Maa-kun should be grateful about all the effort his childhood friend was doing for him. "Sleep." He almost ordered.   
  
Mao laughed faintly, sounding even more sleepy than before. He made himself comfortable on Ritsu's lap and closed his eyes, forgetting about the work that he was supposed to be doing.   
  
"Ritchan..." Maa-kun mumbled, feeling Ritsu's hand caress his hair. "Hand..." He said, hoping that Ritsu wouldn't need more explanations to understand what did he want. Just in case, he reached out his hand, making Ritsu understand that he wanted to hold hands with him.   
  
"Yes, yes." Ritsu replied with a smile, holding Mao's hand and interlacing their fingers.    
  
It had become something like an habit. Maybe it was something that started when they were small, maybe it was more recent, they couldn't remember but it didn't matter in any case. All they knew was that before they realised it, they'd be holding hands while falling asleep.    
  
It wasn't something that they were trying to fix, they couldn't find any reason of why they would need to fix that habit. It made them feel safe, knowing that when they woke up, they'd still find the other.    
  
Sure, they didn't need to hold hands for that, just staying close to each other would be enough. But physical contact made it feel more real, it was an assurance that the matter what they'd really stay together.   
  
"Something like this happened before, right?" Maa-kun spoke, with his eyes closed, so quietly that Ritsu had to pay all his attention to Maa-kun to be able to hear him. Not like it was a big effort, since he was already paying extra special attention to him. He stayed quiet, knowing that Maa-kun hadn't finished speaking. "Me sleeping on your lap..." he explained, speaking so slowly that Ritsu wondered if Maa-kun had fallen asleep while talking. "It felt nice... And now too." Maa-kun squeezed his hand tighter and Ritsu remembered that one time Mao was talking about.    
  
He remembered, after having that fight with him, after being so many days away from Maa-kun, he felt so happy when they made up, when Maa-kun found him in the music room... Maa-kun was truly the source of all his happiness.   
  
"When I opened my eyes and saw you... I felt so happy." Maa-kun continued speaking and Ritsu was surprised at how easily he managed to say those things, Maa-kun was rarely so honest and he wondered if it was because he felt too tired. Maybe he was sleep talking. "I think it was then when I realised, that I was... No..." Maa-kun slowly started to move, raising his head and sitting on his knees, opening his eyes, proving to Ritsu that he wasn't sleeptalking. "That I  _ am _ in love with you." He said, correcting himself from the previous sentence, placing Ritsu's hand against his cheek.   
  
Maa-kun closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of Ritsu's hand with a smile on his face, and for a second, once again Ritsu wondered if Maa-kun had fallen asleep.   
  
Until they both realised, what had he said.   
  
Mao opened his eyes, suddenly, releasing his grip from Ritsu's hand and his face becoming red.   
  
The feelings he had been hiding for so long, to be revealed like this, because he let his guard down... He didn't even think that he was ready to see Ritsu's reaction.   
  
But since he was in front of him, he couldn't avoid seeing it.   
  
Ritsu's eyes had widened and his mouth was open, in the form of an "o". The surprised look on his face was definitely something better than Mao expected, after all he had always been scared that if Ritsu ever discovered how he felt, he would hate him or think that he's gross.   
  
Or maybe it was just that the information hadn't really sink in.   
  
"I... Have work to do..." Maa-kun said, his face completely red, feeling wide awake now and ready to go back to work.   
  
But Ritsu stopped him, pulling him into a hug before Maa-kun managed to completely stand up.   
  
The sudden action made Mao confused, but he couldn't avoid putting his arms around Ritsu, returning the hug.   
  
For a brief moment Maa-kun managed to relax, resting his head against Ritsu's shoulder as he felt his embrace, almost feeling that he could fall asleep in any moment.   
  
"I'm so happy," Maa-kun heard Ritsu say. Or at least, he thought he heard him say that, maybe it was just his mind playing tricks. "Maa-kun," this time he was sure that he heard Ritsu's soft voice speaking directly into his ear. "I also love you." He heard Ritsu's voice once again, and he really hoped that this really wasn't a dream. "I have always loved you." Ritsu's grip, his hug, tightened around Maa-kun as he placed a kiss on his hair.   
  
Hearing those words, the voice in which Ritsu was speaking, with so much happiness, it made Mao regret having kept quiet about his feelings for so long.   
  
He smiled, tightening his grip around Ritsu as well as he fell asleep, hoping that the feelings of love and happiness that he was feeling would accompany him until the morning.   
  
Until every morning for the rest of his life.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Maa-kun, praise me more~" Ritsu requested, with that childish voice that he always used when he wanted Mao to do something for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I haven't updated this thing in over a month, but, in my defense! I have been publishing other stuff so I'm forgiven, I think D:
> 
> This one is set... Around Halloween I guess? When Ritsu was feeling weak...
> 
> In any case, 1000 hits and almost 100 kudos! I'm honestly so happy about this, never though people would actually like these things I write ;w; thank you very much everyone!

Ritsu wasn't precisely good at staying awake. Mao knew that, actually, everyone knew that, and it was almost as if they had all decided that it was useless to attempt changing that habit of his.   
  
That's why it was a great surprise when Ritsu managed to stay awake for a whole day. Talking to people, actually making club and unit activities.   
  
But there was something that stroke off for Mao. Everyone could see how active Ritsu had become during the day, and while that was normal for any other human being, it did feel weird for someone like Ritsu to do that.   
  
After all, even if his brain told him that no matter how many times Ritsu said that he was a vampire there was no way it could be real, after hearing so many times something inside Mao had started to believe that maybe it was true.   
  
That's why his worries increased even more when night arrived and he saw that Ritsu, contrary to his usual behaviour, didn't become more active.   
  
Instead he actually seemed even more tired.   
  
"Ritsu, come here." He said, hoping that his childhood friend wouldn't notice the worry behind his words.   
  
Ritsu yawned and stretched his arms slowly. Mao hadn't even realised that he had fallen asleep, it was night after all, Ritsu rarely slept during the night.   
  
"What's wrong, Maa-kun~?" Ritsu asked slowly getting closer to Mao, just like he had requested.   
  
Once he was close enough, Mao stared at him, paying attention to every single part of his face and body. His skin looked even more pale than usual, he could swear that Ritsu had even lost weight, and his face definitely looked like that of someone who's about to pass out.   
  
This was no good.   
  
Mao grabbed his head and as softly as he could he put it against his lap, making Ritsu lie down so he could sleep peacefully.   
  
"Maa-kun?" Ritsu asked fairly surprised, something like this was unusual for Mao, if Ritsu wanted to use Mao's lap as pillow he usually needed to beg for it and spend a long time convincing Mao, who would try his best to avoid it but still give in at the end.   
  
Ritsu loved to use Mao's lap as pillow, because he always got to see Mao's embarrassed face (Ritsu's head was too close to a certain dangerous zone after all, Mao couldn't help but let his thoughts go astray, and Ritsu knew, that's what made it even more fun to use his lap, even if he didn't plan on doing anything else than sleep.) Sometimes Mao would also fall asleep while Ritsu slept on him, which meant that when Ritsu woke up, the first thing he saw was Mao's sleeping face. It was truly a beautiful sight.   
  
"You have tried hard, haven't you?" Mao asked, almost whispering, which such a soft voice so full of care and concern that it almost sounded like a lullaby for Ritsu.   
  
A smile appeared on Ritsu's lips, receiving praise from his dear Maa-kun would never fail to make him happy.   
  
"What's this? Maa-kun is acting weird, are you alright~?" Even if he planed for his voice to sound as playful and teasing as usual, he felt too tired for that and instead it sounded sleepy and exhausted. Without even realising, he closed his eyes while still smiling.   
  
"Am I?" Mao laughed softly. "I think you're the one acting weird." Ritsu thought that he could hear worry in his voice. Then again, that was nothing new, Maa-kun was always worried about everything.   
  
Ritsu moved his hand slowly, still with his eyes closed, trying to find Mao's hand. As if he had discovered Ritsu's intention, Mao moved his hand as well and grabbed Ritsu's.   
  
"Maa-kun, praise me more~" Ritsu requested, with that childish voice that he always used when he wanted Mao to do something for him.   
  
"Praise...?" Mao repeated, the request catching him off guard. "Even if you ask me to do that, I don't know..."   
  
Ritsu opened his eyes suddenly, a frown appearing on his face and pouting.   
  
"Anything works." He complained. "Pra~i~se~ me~" Ritsu requested once again, this time more playfully and Mao couldn't help but smile seeing how childish his friend was acting.   
  
Mao didn't understand very well why did Ritsu suddenly want to be praised, but he thought that once in a while it wouldn't be bad to remind him about his good points.   
  
"You are really good looking." Mao said with all seriousness and Ritsu couldn't help but let a small snort out, from all the things he could have said, for that to be the first thing, and he said it so seriously... For some reason Ritsu found it funny. "Your laugh... Actually, every sound you make, it's really cute." He continued, almost ignoring Ritsu's interruption. "I could hear you for hours and I'd never get tired." He added, and even if it was true, he almost regretted saying that outloud, his cheeks starting to burn. "Your singing too, it might be the most beautiful sound I have heard." He was starting to speak lower, almost a whisper, as if his words were too embarrassing to say them louder. But this way he hoped that Ritsu understood that he would never say this kind of thing to any other person. Ritsu was the only one allowed to hear that kind of special praise, those words that had so much love behind. "Your sweets are the most delicious thing I'll ever eat."    
  
"Maa-kun," Ritsu interrupted Mao, even if he loved to hear those words, receiving so many words of love from Mao, it was also starting to make him embarrassed. And those words were lighting up a small flame inside him, the love he felt towards his childhood friend burned with an intense light that he was sure it would never vanish. And he wanted to show Mao those feelings he held. "Kiss?" He requested the same way as before, knowing that Mao wouldn't be able to say no.   
  
Ritsu moved a little so Mao could kiss him properly, after all Mao wouldn't be able to bend enough to kiss him while Ritsu rested on his lap. Mao held him almost protectively with his free hand, still holding Ritsu's hand with the other.   
  
And even if Ritsu had requested for a single kiss, Mao didn't want to let go off him, and so the first kiss was followed by a second one, a third one, a fourth one and at some point, he decided that there was no point in counting how many they had been. All it mattered was that the person he loved the most in the world was there with him.   
  
They finally separated their lips when they had enough, (maybe it was more accurate to say that they felt that it was time to stop, as they knew that they'd never have enough of each other,) and looked at each other silently, almost as if they still didn't believe how much they loved the other and how lucky they were that their feelings were mutual.   
  
"Your kisses are also the best." Mao said, finally breaking the silence, continuing with the praise that Ritsu had wanted so much.   
  
Ritsu couldn't help but laugh at the sudden comment.   
  
"Aren't they~?" He said, resting his head against Mao's lap again and closing his eyes, ready to fall asleep in any moment.   
  
Ritsu squeezed Mao's hand tighter.   
  
"Hey, Maa-kun," he spoke with a voice that almost seemed scared, while slowly bringing Mao's hand to his face before placing a kiss on it. "Even during sleep, don't let go off me." He requested, and for a second Mao thought that Ritsu looked incredibly fragile.   
  
"Don't worry about that." He said, softly, as if he was worried about scaring him if he raised his voice. "I'll never let go off you." Ritsu could feel the sincerity of those words, how he really meant them and how Mao would really be able to hold that promise.    
  
He truly felt happiness whenever he thought that his Maa-kun loved him so much.   
  
Ritsu smiled, feeling how he slowly fell asleep.   
  
"Maa-kun," there were so many things he wanted to tell him. _ I love you, thank you, I'm so happy _ . None of those began to explain how he truly felt. "Thank you for being born." He finally said, and even if he still felt that those words weren't enough to show him how he truly felt, it was probably the closest thing he could think about.   
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Mao said between laughs, trying to hide his embarrassment and happiness.   
  
He placed his free hand on Ritsu's head, slowly brushing his hair.   
  
"Goodnight, Ritchan." He said as he played with his hair. "Sleep well." Ritsu managed to hear before giving himself to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was a request I got as well~ I got it reaaaally long ago and I wrote it back then so i didn't really want to publish it but, since lately it seems I don't have many ideas for short stories, I would be really glad if I got a few requests~ either on Twitter or here in the comments, I would be really happy if I got at least one www


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Maa-kun, I'm thirsty.”_
> 
> _“I will buy you a drink once I finish working.”_
> 
> _“I don't mean that…”_  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. This one is longer than usual. But hey! Two requests in one!  
> And sorry for not updating in such a long time... Idol games keep me busy.

Summer is hell, Ritsu has decided.

There's a suffocating heat in the classroom, which is made even more unbearable thanks to the teacher's endless lecture. And it this heat, this sunny, bright, annoying day will last for too long because days have become longer now.

Definitely not nice.

And maybe this might be one of the few occasions in which he actually dislikes sitting behind Maa-kun’s desk, having to deal with his loose summer uniform exposing his neck.

Had Ritsu been a wild beast, he would have jumped and bit Maa-kun’s neck long ago.

It's actually taking him all his willpower to stay back and make sure he doesn't do anything, especially considering how long has it been since the last time he had the pleasure of tasting even a single drop of blood.

He closes his eyes, hoping that he will manage to fall asleep, let time pass and maybe, if he's lucky, when he wakes up his throat won't feel dry anymore, he will have forgotten about his thirst.

This is Maa-kun’s fault, definitely.

Time passes way too quickly, and even before he had noticed that he had fallen asleep, he's woken up by a dull hit on the head with a plain object.

He opens his eyes, putting both of his hands on the damaged zone while pouting, the first thing he sees being a notebook.

And holding it, showing a grumpy face, there is Maa-kun.

“You fell asleep in the middle of class.” He scolds him, trying for his voice to sound severe but Ritsu has known him for so long that he can't be intimidating at all. “ _ Again.” _ He adds, frowning as he places the notebook on Ritsu's desk.

Ritsu looks at it confused, not understanding why Maa-kun is giving him that object, after all, he has no memories of owning a notebook like that. If he remembers well, all his notebooks and studying material are still inside his bag.

“You are on classroom duty today.” Maa-kun explains with a sigh, and as soon as he finishes talking, a groan leaves Ritsu's mouth.

“I don't want…” He complains, taking the notebook and opening it. “I don't even know what I have to do... Class assistance?” He asks, reading the top of the page.

“You have already done classroom duty before, don't try to shrug it off.” Maa-kun lectures him once again, moving his chair and sitting in front of Ritsu. “But fine, I will help you.” He sighs. “It's not like you know who came to class, right? You spent the whole day sleeping after all.”

Ritsu hums half agreeing with him, he couldn't deny that he had slept during almost all the classes, (he didn't even remember if the teachers had tried to wake him up, but maybe Maa-kun had been covering up for him all day,) but he was sure that at least he knew about the assistance of his classmates.

“Natchan came today, right?” He asks, trying to prove that he had indeed been paying attention to his surroundings. More or less.

“Narukami left halfway the day, dragging Kagehira along saying that they were going to eat cake.” He explains, looking at Ritsu's hands that still haven't noted anything down in the notebook.

“So Natchan  _ did  _ come, right?” Ritsu insists, tapping the paper of the notebook with the pencil.

“And left.” Mao sighs. “Give me that, I will do it for you.” He adds, giving up at any attempt to make Ritsu work properly as he takes the notebook and pencil away from him.

“Maa-kun should have known that things were going to end like this.” Ritsu tells him, almost proudly as he smiles, happy that he won't have to work.

“I spoil you too much…” Maa-kun complains, a soft smile showing on his face and making any of his complaints hard to believe.

“That's because Maa-kun loves working hard~.” Ritsu teases him, watching Maa-kun’s hands work, precisely writing all of their classmates names.

And it's when they are in silence, when the only sound in the room is that of the pen writing on paper, that Ritsu notices once again. The loose tie around Maa-kun’s neck, the shirt revealing his neck and, ah, before Ritsu can even realize his eyes are staring at that spot, his teeth (more accurately, fangs) aching, wanting to dig in the skin and taste Maa-kun’s blood.

He covers his mouth with his hand. This is bad. Maa-kun, having that strong fear to sharp objects that he has, would never forgive him if he bit him.

“Maa-kun.” He calls, slowly, making sure that he can hold down his instincts, but his throat feels so  _ so  _ dry that even talking proves to be a difficult task. “I'm thirsty.” 

“I will buy you a drink once I finish working.” Maa-kun answers, not even bothering to look at Ritsu and continuing with his work.

“I don't mean that…” Ritsu explains and his voice might have shown the desperation he's feeling because Maa-kun has decided to look away from the paper and look at him instead.

“Blood…?” He asks, and Ritsu can hear the fear in his voice. When Ritsu nods slowly, he can even see it, his eyes showing how terrified he feels.

Ritsu can't blame him, not after what he did when they were little.

“Where is Anzu?” Ritsu decides to ask, knowing that the girl will definitely fulfill any of his selfish requests. In that way, she is kind of like Maa-kun.

“I think that she is helping UNDEAD with their next live…” Maa-kun answers, not being able to take his eyes away from Ritsu and still not really getting rid of his fear. 

“Anija will be there…” Ritsu clicks his tongue, great, now he can't go and ask her either unless he wants to deal with his brother.

“Why did you want to know?” Maa-kun asks, his voice starting to sound worried but still not being able to move from his seat.

“She would let me drink her blood.” He explains, and the more he thinks about actually drinking, the more he wants to do it. “Maybe Haa-kun…” He thinks out loud, but even if he thinks about people who  _ might  _ let him drink their blood, finding them sounded like a task too bothersome to complete.

“You…” Maa-kun’s voice makes him snap from his thoughts, look at him once again and he notices the way Maa-kun grips the pencil, with so much strength placed on it that it wouldn't be surprising if it suddenly snapped in half. “You are going to drink from someone else?” 

And maybe it's because Ritsu is starting to feel desperate, but it almost feels like Maa-kun is actually jealous.

“ _ Someone else? _ ” Ritsu asks, a teasing smile appearing on his face. “Maa-kun, are you offering yourself?” He knows that he shouldn't joke about it, he knows that Maa-kun hates sharp objects so of course, he hates his fangs too, there's no way he will let him bit him.

And that's why he has to ask, because he needs to hear it from him, because as long as Maa-kun keeps…  _ teasing  _ him with a faint bit of hope, he won't be able to give up on the thought of sinking his fangs in his skin, the thought of drinking that red liquid that he loves so much, from the person he loves so much.

“Will it hurt?” but unlike what he expected, the way Maa-kun looks at him, still scared but  _ so _ serious almost makes him lose his head, almost makes him forget to restrain himself to not jump directly into Maa-kun’s neck.

“I don't know.” Ritsu replies, as honest as he can. After all, he has never been bitten, there's no way he will know how it feels. “Did it hurt last time?” He asks, unwillingly baring his fangs and while he knows that this is probably going to scare Mao, he has to make sure that Maa-kun is sure about this.

“I…” Maa-kun places his hand on his neck, maybe the spot that his hand is covering is where Ritsu bit him in the past, he can't really remember after so long. “I don't remember.” He admits, not being able to look at Ritsu into the eyes, his whole body trembling faintly.

Ritsu sighs, standing up from his seat.

“I'm going to look for…” but before he can even finish talking, he feels Maa-kun’s hand around his wrist.

“Why are you looking for other people?” His voice voice accidentally ends up coming out louder and angrier than he intended, but it doesn't really matter, because in the end now he has Ritsu's full attention, exactly what he wanted.

“Because, Maa-kun,” Ritsu places his free hand on top of Mao’s, holding it and making it release his grip. “You are scared, aren't you?”

And Mao feels a chill going down his spine, because even if Ritsu is smiling at him softly, just like he usually does, there's just something that feels  _ wrong. _

That being that his fangs are peeking, making him feel completely uneasy and definitely scared, just like Ritsu has said.

“I am…” He has to admit, knowing that he can't lie to Ritsu. “But, whenever I think about you drinking from Anzu, or the member from your club, or any other…” He has to take a deep breath, as he speaks the images fill his mind and it makes his stomach twist in a feeling that he doesn't really understand. “I don't like it.” He admits finally.

“Maa-kun, could it be… that you are jealous?” Ritsu asks, and even if usually his question would be a tease, a prank to mess up with Maa-kun, this time it's genuine, the thought of joking about it hasn't even crossed his mind.

“I don't know.” Maa-kun replies, his face somehow looking a little more red than usual. “I just don't like it.” He repeats, and he realizes how childish it sounds, but he can't avoid it.

“But Maa-kun, that means…” Ritsu moves his hand, placing it on Maa-kun’s neck and the other boy closes his eyes for a moment, tensing up his whole body to the touch, but a second later he seems to relax a little, opening his eyes. And Ritsu notices that while Maa-kun’s body is stiff, he has at least stopped trembling. “I have no other choice than to drink from you.” He says, attempting for it to sound like a threat but the smile on his face making it impossible to find it intimidating.

Being able to drink Maa-kun’s blood, it almost feels like a dream.

“That… I have been saying that for a while.” Maa-kun says, gulping at the end of the sentence and it's obvious that he's trying his best to hide either his nervousness or fear.

Just how jealous was he feeling for  _ this  _ to be more bearable than that?

“Then…” Ritsu gets closer to Maa-kun, placing his head on his shoulder as he feels Maa-kun’s arms wrapping around him and he takes this as the confirmation that it really is okay for him to  _ finally  _ drink from him. “Let's dig in~” he jokes cheerfully.

And before Maa-kun can even complain, Ritsu's fangs pierce him, creating two small wounds in his neck that start dripping blood.

It stings for a second, which makes it unavoidable for Maa-kun to grunt in pain, but Ritsu doesn't even realize it thanks to the sweet,  _ sweet,  _ taste of Maa-kun’s blood filling his mouth. He can barely pay attention to his surroundings, to anything that isn't his mouth on Maa-kun’s neck. He can barely feel that Maa-kun’s grip around him has disappeared and instead he's  _ holding  _ onto him, grabbing his clothes as if his life depended on it.

Instead he makes sure that he doesn't drink for too long, to make sure that Maa-kun will be fine, after all, humans can die from blood loss, and he would never forgive himself if something happened to  _ his  _ Maa-kun.

So he counts until ten and decides to stop. That should be enough, even if he would  _ love  _ to keep drinking, it has nothing to do with his thirst anymore. Maa-kun’s blood is almost addictive, and he doesn't even know if it's because of the taste or because it's Maa-kun’s.

He licks the remaining blood from the wound, making sure that those are the last drops of blood he will have today and the he hums pleased, enjoying the taste that has been left in his mouth.

“Thank you for the meal~” he jokes, once again cheerfully, before placing a soft kiss on the wound he has left on Maa-kun’s neck, followed by a second, a third and a fourth one, as if he was trying to seal the wound with them.

There's a small laugh coming out from Maa-kun When he does that, followed by a weak complain saying “stop that, it tickles!” but he doesn't even try to stop Ritsu.

The vampire smiles, glad that even after what he has done, even if Maa-kun could have released him, he has decided to hug him, keep him close to his body.

“Maa-kun.” Ritsu calls, his head still leaning on his childhood friend’s shoulder. “I'm sleepy…” he complains, followed by a yawn.

“You start feeling sleepy as soon as you drink? Are you a baby?” Maa-kun complains, but by the moment he stops talking, he can already hear Ritsu's soft snores. “Wait, for real?” He feels Ritsu's body becoming limp against his, suddenly weighting more and he remembers that Ritsu himself once said that when someone falls asleep, their body weights three times more than usual.

Not like Mao didn't know that already, he has had to carry Ritsu both awake and asleep more than once after all.

He sighs, still not being able to understand  _ how  _ has Ritsu fallen asleep while standing up.

And after that, he realizes, that he never thought about how he's going to explain the marks on his neck to… Anyone at all.

  
“I guess I will have to come up with something…” he thinks out loud, wondering if he can find any credible excuse to wear a scarf in the middle of summer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Ritsu voice) Itadakimaa-kun
> 
> Anyways, I want to thank Subaru because thanks to him being ranking I have to stay up until unhealthy hours to use lp so I can stay in rank for him (save me and let me get him).
> 
> As always, thank you everyone who reads, leaves comments, kudos and bookmarks, it makes me really happy, thank you!
> 
> I will really try to update more often, I just hope idol games will have mercy on me and let me finally rest.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“If this is a dream I don't want to wake up~”_   
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will someday manage to get back to a regular writing schedule... I have way too many ideas but a short attention span that doesn't allow me to work on them...  
> Short story this time but I will try to make up for that next time!

There are many things that Ritsu loves about Mao. So many that it would be easier to say that he loves everything about him.

  
And even if there are so many, he's sure that he could say everything he loves about him one by one.   
  
Or at least he could, if it didn't take so much effort.   
  
Right now, he loves the expression in Mao's face every time they kiss. How he nervously closes his eyes and parts his lips, waiting for Ritsu's touch.   
  
Usually Ritsu spends one or two seconds looking at him, trying to memorize every single feature of Mao's face. His hair. His expression. How red his cheeks have gotten.   
  
He knows, that it's only a matter of time for Mao to get used to Ritsu's sudden and not so sudden proofs of affection, that someday he will stop looking so nervous.   
  
So Ritsu wants to enjoy this, if possible he would take a picture and save it forever, but he knows that Maa-kun would most definitely get angry at him, ordering him to delete the picture. —Though Ritsu is sure that he would also enjoy the look on his face as he lectures him, so it could be worth it. But it could also mean Maa-kun getting angry at him and giving him a punishment, which he would definitely not enjoy.   
  
Once he feels satisfied of looking at Maa-kun's face, he decides that it's time to stop making him wait, closing his eyes as he gets closer to him, making their lips meet.   
  
Ritsu can feel Maa-kun tense for a moment when they kiss, another proof that he's still not used to this, and he smiles, the friction between their lips still slow and soft, and as for this once Ritsu decides to not be greedy.   
  
He decides to not force himself on Maa-kun, and it proves to be a more arduous task than he expected. While he does enjoy every kiss he shares with Maa-kun, he definitely prefers it when it's more _passionate_ , when Maa-kun —who definitely never expects that kind of movement from Ritsu— is left breathless and gasping, looking at Ritsu in a way that could lead him to interpret it in a dangerous way.   
  
This kind of... _Childish_ kiss is still nice tough. Ritsu can feel that Maa-kun is more comfortable with it, so he can't complain about it, as long as Maa-kun is happy Ritsu is happy as well.   
  
Not only he's a good childhood friend, he's also a good boyfriend. Maa-kun should be happy to have someone like him.

When he finally lets go of Maa-kun, reluctantly as he would love to stay longer like that, as close as he can to Maa-kun. But he knows that Maa-kun can't stay like this forever.

He said that they only have ten minutes to be together, ten minutes that he managed to get away from all his work and responsibilities, and still Ritsu is planning on making sure that it will be more than ten minutes.

Even if Maa-kun has other things to do, ten minutes is a way too short amount of time, he should rest for longer, spoil Ritsu for longer.

When Ritsu opens his eyes, he smiles, Maa-kun’s face is even more red than before as he slowly opens his eyes away, not daring to look at Ritsu in the eyes.

He's flustered, he definitely is, and Ritsu can't avoid letting a soft and small laugh out.

“If this is a dream I don't want to wake up~” He says, almost sleepily, as if the kiss had taken away all his energy, even if it was as innocent as possible.

Maa-kun smiles back at him for a moment, before sighing and trying to appear angry.

“When are you awake in the first place?” Maa-kun tries to sound like he's lecturing Ritsu, but the soft tone of his voice makes it hard to believe that he's angry or upset, and the look in his eyes is far too loving for someone who's supposed to be scolding someone.

And yet, that doesn't stop him from flicking his fingers against Ritsu's forehead.

“Maa-kun!” Ritsu complains loudly exaggerating the pain and putting both hands in the spot that has been hurt. “That hurt!”

Maa-kun blinks twice, surprised about the reaction that he has gotten from Ritsu.

“Sorry… Did I put too much force?” He asks, a little worried and apologetic as Ritsu puts his hands down.

“Well, yea…” Ritsu has to avoid smiling, as he can't believe that Maa-kun fell for such an obvious trick. “But a kiss would make me feel better~” He sing-songs, this time smiling.

He sees how Maa-kun sighs once again and mutters something among the lines of “I knew it would end like this.” 

And then he feels Maa-kun’s lips against his forehead, for a brief second, and Ritsu can't say that he dislikes the feeling.

“That's wrong Maa-kun.” He still complains, because Ritsu being Ritsu can't avoid being greedy, because Maa-kun being Maa-kun will fulfill any of his requests. “Here.” Ritsu points at his lips.

And he knows, that if Maa-kun obeys him and kisses him, this time he won't be able to hold back, he will want to taste Maa-kun as much as possible, forcing himself if necessary.

But he finds himself surprised, when Maa-kun puts his arms around Ritsu's neck, kissing him, not letting him go. Ritsu can't say that he dislikes the feeling, quite contrary, he actually enjoys this side of Maa-kun, this side that goes one step ahead of Ritsu's thoughts.

  
Because this time, Maa-kun is the one who forces himself in.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said I would make up for the previous short update and I made up for it~!  
> I hope I can manage to keep this for a while, though right now I'm trying to work in two different long stories...
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story and good luck in the event! I want to burn HE for making Ritsu rank and making me wait 10 days to get him!

Mao looks outside the closed window. The raindrops that keep hitting harder one after another on it making the view look distorted, the noise making it seem as if it would break in any moment.

He frowns, he thought that after some time it would finally clear, he would be able to go out, but instead the weather only keeps getting worse.

As proof of that, a shining light crosses the cloudy sky (though Mao's first thought isn't that it was a thunder but that Subaru would definitely love that kind of view).

It's when he hears the loud sound, so loud that it even makes the windows, the walls, the whole room and house tremble. Or at least it feels like that.

He sighs, apparently he won't be going out today.

"It's dangerous..." A sleepy voice mutters, looking at him with his eyelids half closed and not even bothering to move out from bed. Mao almost feels that Ritsu has read his mind, as just a few moments ago he was still considering going out. "You can call home and tell them you're staying here." He adds, this time moving lazily, not out from bed but to a side of it, making space for Mao and inviting him.

Judging by the way his words have sounded, it doesn't sound like he's going to let Mao say otherwise. He's going to stay at Ritsu's house for tonight.

Mao looks at his phone, considering to make a call and warn his family about his absence tonight, but he decides to give up, leaving it on the small table next to Ritsu's bed.

"It's alright. Even if I don't call they will assume that I'm either here or at school doing student council work." He explains, sitting on the bed, not lying down as unlike Ritsu, he doesn't feel sleepy at all.

"You are with me~" His childhood friend says with a smile, almost proud about it, that for once Maa-kun is staying with him instead of being surrounded by boring papers in an even more boring room.

"Yes, yes, I'm with you~" He says cheerfully, patting his head softly, ruffling his hair in the process and making it even messier.

He hears Ritsu groan softly, his eyes closed as he brings his hands up to stop Maa-kun's

"Ah, sorry I forgot you don't like being touched..." Mao apologizes, taking his hand away from Ritsu's head.

The dark haired boy opens his eyes, once again not fully as he still seems to be half asleep, but Mao can see that he isn't feeling too happy.

"Now that Maa-kun has touched me I won't be able to sleep..." He mutters, "Maa-kun should assume responsibility." His words sound like an order instead of a joke.

Or at least Mao hopes it's a joke.

Even after all these years, he isn't too sure what would Ritsu make him do to assume responsibility.

"It was just a headpat." Mao retorts, before Ritsu makes a big deal out of it. "And if you can't sleep that's better." He sighs, putting his hands on the bed and leaning a little back, stretching his back. "Even if it's dark outside it's still daytime, you know~? So you should wakey, rise and shine~" he doesn't even finish the sentence when he sees that Ritsu is taking the blanket and burying himself on it, groaning louder than before at the idea of having to get out from bed.

Mao laughs softly at the image, of course this is how Ritsu would react.

"I already went to school... I worked properly, Maa-kun should stop being noisy and let me sleep." Mao has to make sure to pay attention to the words that Ritsu is speaking as the way he's muttering them, under his breath and muffled by the blanket, makes it difficult to understand what he says.

Mao is going to complain and lecture Ritsu once again, tell him that just because he worked a little he shouldn't laze around so much, but another thunder --this one louder than the previous one-- interrupts him.

And Ritsu groans, louder than before.

"The storm isn't letting you sleep?" Mao asks, softly, instinctively trying to make as less noise as possible.

Ritsu's reply is a slow nod as he finally shows his face, finally taking the blanket away from it.

"Too noisy..." He complains, still not raising his voice too much. "Noisier than Maa-kun..." He adds, in an obvious attempt to provoke Maa-kun.

But the only answer he gets from him is a frown, he doesn't seem to be too happy about being called noisy, but he does seem to understand that for Ritsu anything that disturbs his sleep is a bother.

"But this weather... It really isn't clearing out..." Mao decides to change the topic, maybe this way Ritsu will forget about the storm and his sleepiness and finally wake up. "It almost seems like the end of the world..." He adds, a whisper that he doesn't even realize that has come out from his mouth as he thought about it.

And then there's a giggle, a soft laugh that fills the room and by the time Maa-kun notices who's the one laughing and why he's laughing it's already too late to avoid getting embarrassed.

"What's so funny?" He asks, louder than he intended and unable to hide that he's starting to feel flustered.

"Maa-kun reads too much manga~" Ritsu teases him and Mao can feel his face burning.

_There's no such a thing like reading too much manga_ , he wants to say, but he knows Ritsu will only laugh at him even more if he says that.

"The end of the world, huh~" Ritsu repeats, this time not to make fun of Maa-kun but because he does seem amused by the idea. "Sleeping while the world ends sounds like a good plan~" He laughs softly after those words and Mao isn't too sure if he's being serious or just messing with him.

Maybe both.

"Isn't that a little boring?" Mao complains, getting a little closer to Ritsu as he speaks and he can see that Ritsu is really making space for him in bed so they can lie together.

He decides to finally take the invitation and lies on the bed, he doesn't cover himself with the blanket though, as Ritsu is monopolizing it and he doesn't feel in the mood to fight over it.

"Is it?" Ritsu answers and Maa-kun is glad that he has lied down as now he can hear Ritsu's voice properly even when he speaks so softly.

He's sure he won't be able to hear him over the noise of the thunders though.

Mao's reply is a nod, suddenly he's too busy to speak, wanting to hear more of Ritsu's voice. Now that he's lying down so close to him it's not only that he can hear his voice so clearly, but he can appreciate every single detail of his face.

If he wanted, he would be able to count the eyelashes that right now cover his eyes and don't allow him to see his red eyes properly.

Ritsu hums, as if he had been told something that he needs to think deeply about.

"Well, even if I did something, it would be meaningless if the world ends. So there's no point." He explains, his voice almost a sigh. "And since working would be meaningless, no one would be able to complain if I decided to sleep~" He adds, more cheerfully as his lips turn into a smile.

Seeing Ritsu smile makes Mao smile as well, for a second at least, until he decides to continue the conversation.

"There are many people that would do things that they would never do under other circumstances." Ritsu would like for Maa-kun to close his mouth and let him sleep, but when another thunder crosses the sky, followed by a loud noise, he remembers that even if Maa-kun stays quiet there's something worse.

Taking that into consideration, maybe he could start appreciating his voice instead of complaining internally about it.

"Like what?" He asks, not because he's actually interested but because he has decided that if he's forced to stay awake, at least he wants to hear Maa-kun's voice.

The question catches Mao off guard though, and he can only think about one single thing that people would do in that kind of improbable situation.

"Well you know..." He adverts his gaze, looking away from Ritsu. "Something like, confessing your feeling to the person you like..." And as soon as he finishes the sentence he can feel his heart beating faster. For a moment he looks at Ritsu again but then he looks away again.

This is really bad, he isn't too sure if he wants to know Ritsu's answer to something like that, if he would confess or if he actually has a crush on someone.

But all he receives as reply is another hum, this one lower and Mao knows Ritsu well enough to know what does it mean.

He's uninterested.

And suddenly Mao's excitement disappears, an amount of mixed filling him as he doesn't know if it's because Ritsu doesn't have a crush it if he actually has one but he doesn't see the point of confessing.

"What's wrong?" He asks, trying for his voice to sound as firm as possible and not let Ritsu know what is he thinking about.

"It would be pointless." Ritsu replies, his voice sounding so firm that Mao almost feels that a bouquet of cold water has been poured over him.

"Pointless...?" He asks, still not wanting to give up. He feels that he has opened a room that he shouldn't have, but now he can't leave until he has enough answers to leave him satisfied.

Ritsu nods, before he starts talking.

"If you got rejected, you would spend your last day on Earth feeling miserable. But if the feelings were mutual, you would regret not confessing earlier." He explains, his eyes closing as he speaks and his voice becoming slower. Maybe he's falling asleep, Mao thinks, but to prove him wrong, Ritsu shakes his head and opens his eyes a little once again.

Mao almost curses that he still can't see the beautiful red colour of his eyes under the heavy eyelashes. If only Ritsu opened his eyes a little more...

"Truly pointless." He mutters, and he almost seems sad about it.

And yet, Mao's heart won't stop beating, and he isn't sure if it's because of the topic they are talking about, because of how soothing Ritsu's voice is or because of how close they are to each other.

"Then... You wouldn't confess?" _to me_ , he wants to add, but he bites his tongue and he doesn't even know if he's the one Ritsu is in love with. He doesn't even know if Ritsu is in love with someone.

He still wants to cling to the slightest bit of hope though.

Just like a spider's thread.

"No way." Ritsu says, firmly, his face almost becoming a frown if it weren't because he gives up halfway through it, thinking that it requires too much effort.

Mao understands why Ritsu says that. He has explained it, and yet he can't avoid his heart feeling like breaking into a million of pieces.

And yet he still doesn't give up.

"I think I would." He says, taking a deep breath as he gathers enough courage to look directly at Ritsu's half closed eyes. "No... I definitely would." He corrects himself and he tries to get mentally ready for the next sentence that he's going to say.

"If the world were to end tomorrow, then, today I would tell you that I love you."

Strongly and firmly, a voice that doesn't waver even if he feels his heart beating faster by every second, looking directly at the eyes of the person that he has just confessed to.

And it's when his words sink that Ritsu's eyes open wide, finally revealing the red coloured irises that Mao had been wanting to see for a while already.

He smiles proudly, feeling that he has managed to achieve some kind of prize.

"Eh?" And yet, just by one single sillabe, Maa-kun can start feeling the nervousness approach him.

He still doesn't take his eyes away from Ritsu's, he can feel his whole being burning and his heart beating so fast that it feels like it wants to break away and escape.

It's almost a painful feeling, and he's sure that the only one who can make him feel better is Ritsu.

But even after all these years, he still doesn't know if the reason he has opened his eyes in surprise so much means something good or not.

They never talked about love or crushes. And Mao isn't too proud to admit that it took him too long to realize his feelings and even longer to accept them.

It's something incredible though, he thinks, after all there used to be a point in his like in which he wasn't in love with Ritsu, and there used to be another point in his life in which he wouldn't accept it.

And now he can't imagine how would life be if he didn't have these feelings. It almost feels like these feelings are what make him feel truly alive.

"But you know, Ritchan," he decides to speak again, as Ritsu doesn't seem to be in the mood to talk. It's cute though, for first time Mao has managed to be the one surprising Ritsu, he's the one making him feel so confused instead of the other way around and it kind of feels like he's finally getting some payback. "The world isn't ending, neither today, neither tomorrow." The words come out softly, over the sound of his own loud and erratic heartbeat. "And yet, for some reason, I still want to tell you that I'm in love with you."

Now that he has said it, it feels like a weight has been lifted off from his shoulders. And even if it's painful and embarrassing, he doesn't try to look away, his eyes fixed on Ritsu as he wants to make him understand that he being serious. Than he resolve won't waver.

He tries to decipher what Ritsu's surprised face means, his eyes have opened more than Mao has ever seen him open, his mouth slightly open as well while it looks like he isn't even breathing at all.

And it's almost an instant, a second so short that Mao wonders if he has imagined it, but Ritsu's face softens, his eyes closing a little once again as they accompany the smile that appears on his face just before he pulls closer and places them on top of Mao's.

"See? You didn't have to wait until the world ended." Ritsu says once they break apart, and Mao isn't too sure if he's teasing him. "Though, something like that isn't enough, Maa-kun." By now Maa-kun is sure that Ritchan is teasing him, but he doesn't care at all, he can't bring himself to be angry or annoyed at it. "Even if the world comes to an end, I will still love you." Maa-kun is sure that his face is completely red, that the noise his heart is making is louder than the noise the thunders are making, but he doesn't care. "And you should... No, you must love me back even then." A selfish request like that only makes Maa-kun remember why he loves Ritsu so much and he finds himself unable to hold back the small laugh that escapes his lips.

Ritsu was right, even if the world isn't ending, he still does regret that he has waited so long to confess.

"Promise?" Ritsu asks, lifting his pinky, wanting to make sure that Maa-kun will keep his word.

But the way Maa-kun seals his promise isn't by intertwining their pinkies but with a kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mao being a nerd in canon gives me life. I still can't believe he goes to forums to discuss manga and his ideal present to give to someone on white day is... Manga.  
> Please never change Maa-kun, it makes me happy to see you're one of us.
> 
> As always thank you to those who leave kudos, bookmark and comment!   
> Really, reading comments always makes me incredibly happy so I'm very thankful for everyone who takes their time to write some feedback!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lack of updates! Unfortunately I'm not a good writer and I can only pay attention to one story, so please check the story that I'm currently writing The Sound of Magic!
> 
> Alright sorry for the shameless promo.
> 
> This story turned out being longer than usual, so I hope it makes up for the lack of updates, please enjoy! I hope you like it!

He isn't sure if the thing that has woken him up is the sound of the curtains being opened or the sudden sunlight that has entered to the room thanks to that.   
  
But even if he isn't sure, he knows that both of them are annoying. Sleeping is one of the things he loves the most, if not the most, so for it to be interrupted so abruptly...   
  
He covers his face with the blanket, making sure that the annoying sun won't win the battle to wake him up, returning to the absolute darkness that is so comfortable while trying to sleep.   
  
"Ritsu, wake up." A male voice says, grabbing the blanket and trying to uncover him, but the sleepy boy’s reaction is just to hold tighter to the blanket, making sure that it won't be taken away from him. "Come on Ritsu! We are going to arrive late," he adds, he too pulling the blanket with more strength. "Ritchan...!"    
  
Upon hearing that nickname, Ritsu lowers the blanket a little, enough to show his face and glare at his childhood friend, completely annoyed but unable to ignore him.   
  
"So you really are awake!" Mao says, ignoring how angry Ritsu looks and instead sounding proud of his achievement, releasing his grip from the blanket and hoping that he has done enough to wake him up.   
  
But the next thing he sees is that Ritsu has once again covered his face with the blanket.   


"Come on! Ritchan!" He shouts angrier, grabbing the blanket once again and this time successfully taking it away from Ritsu.   
  
Once he has managed to uncover Ritsu he finds him snuggling, groaning about either his sleep being disturbed or the sudden temperature change (or maybe about both if them), but still with his eyes closed.   
  
He isn't awake yet.   
  
Mao sighs, staring at his childhood friend. It really is a pain to go through this every morning...   
  
He puts his hand on Ritsu's shoulder and starts shaking him lightly.   
  
"Ritsu, hey wake up, Ri…” Before he can finish talking he feels that he's being pulled down, being grabbed by Ritsu's arms and dragged into the bed. “Ritsu!?”

“Maa-kun, you are noisy.” Is the only explanation that the boy gives him, hugging Mao tightly against his body. “You took my blanket away…” He mumbles, and the next thing Mao hears is a soft snore.

“So now I'm your blanket?” Mao asks, not really understanding the logic behind the actions of his childhood friend and trying to get rid of his grip. 

It isn't the first time that this happens. It's actually something quite common, Ritsu being still sleepy dragging Mao into the bed and not letting him go…

It is a little frustrating, thanks to this Mao can't really do anything and they both lose time, which means they have to rush to school… truly a hindrance.

“Ritsu… Wake up…” Mao says, softly, giving the impression that he isn't really trying to wake the other boy.

Truth is that he doesn't hate this. Sure, he complains a lot, he always tells Ritsu that he should start waking up and doing things by himself, but…

“Five minutes more…” Ritsu mumbles, his eyes still closed and turning his head, trying to search for a position in which the light won't annoy him.

Mao sighs, closing his eyes as well. If it's only five minutes it should be fine.

“We are going to arrive late.” He scolds, softly, just like before.

“Just ten minutes…” Ritsu replies, almost sleep talking.

“Did you just increase the amount of time!?” Mao says, finally raising his voice and while Ritsu finds the noise a little annoying, he can't help but smile.

He knows, that even if Maa-kun reacts like this, he'll still let him stay for ten minutes. Maa-kun always lets him do whatever he wants after all.

And even if he's doing this mostly because he loves to sleep and because he knows that even if he wakes up a little later Maa-kun will make sure that they manage to make it in time for school, he also knows, that Maa-kun himself also enjoys this moment.

He could be accused of being selfish or that he had too much confidence in himself for saying that, after all, all Maa-kun did was complain, so how can Ritsu be so sure that Maa-kun likes lying down on bed with him?

Ritsu could say, that it's because he knows Maa-kun better than anyone else, that they have a heart-to-heart connection, that they don't need words to understand each other and thus, he knows how Mao feels about this situation.

But instead of relying in that, even if those facts are completely true and valid in his opinion, he supports them with facts.

If Maa-kun didn't like doing this, he would have already found a way to avoid getting dragged into bed long ago. He wouldn't be defenseless. He would try harder to get rid of Ritsu's grip.

He definitely wouldn't hug him back if he didn't like it.

Ritsu feels Maa-kun’s head resting against his chest, wondering if Maa-kun is paying attention to the sound of his heart. 

He's sure that when Maa-kun is around his heart makes a different sound. There’s the slow yet constant beating his heart makes every moment to keep his blood flowing, keeping him alive, and that's not a bad thing at all. But the sound his heart makes when he's with Maa-kun is completely different. Because while Maa-kun isn't keeping him alive, he does make him  _ feel  _ alive, and just that is enough for his heart to feel like dancing of happiness. So he's sure, that when Maa-kun is around, his heartbeat becomes music, the kind of music that only  _ his  _ Maa-kun is allowed to hear.

“Ritchan…” Mao’s voice interrupts his thoughts, bringing him back to reality and slowly returning to his senses, waking up. “It's been five minutes already.” He informs, his voice sounding far too relaxed, almost sleepy even.

Ritsu grunts. He had asked for ten minutes… 

Ritsu loosens his grip around Maa-kun so he can move, regretting it immediately as he feels how Maa-kun’s warmth and weight disappears from on top of him as he moves away.

He really hates this. Five minutes feel short, way too short. 

But considering how Maa-kun's voice has just sounded, he starts to wonder if he was also starting to fall asleep. That would be bad, if Maa-kun falls asleep they are really done for, there's no way they would manage to make it in time.

Ritsu doesn't really care about that though, going to school is a bother, staying in bed sleeping is a hundred times better, specially if he's with Maa-kun. But Maa-kun probably doesn't think that way. Maa-kun is a nice and responsible boy after all, skipping school to sleep is one of the last things he would ever dare to do.

So Ritsu finally decides to please Maa-kun's request, opening his eyes slowly as he's bothered by the sunlight that he hates so much.

Humans need the sun to live. He knows that. He knows that humans start working as soon as the sun is out, that the dawn means the beginning of the day.

Ritsu can't care less about that. The sun is nothing but a disturbance for his sleep.

If something were to define the beginning of his day…

That would be the red haired boy who is staring at him now, a frown on his face as he waits for Ritsu to finally make a movement, finally show him that he has woken up.

Ritsu frowns too, only for a second though. Keeping that expression for longer requires way too much effort. But that's no it, even if Maa-kun looks cute like this, this isn't the kind of face Ritsu wants to see as soon as he opens his eyes. He has tried his best to wake up, so the least he deserves is a smile, isn't it? An award like that would definitely make him more willing to cooperate.

Maa-kun just doesn't get it.

“Good morning~” Ritsu says regardless, stretching his arms before rubbing his eyes like a cat would, slowly seating on the bed and already feeling that he has used all the energy of the day in just those movements.

Mao sighs.

“The morning started long ago.” He complains, getting ready for the next task of his daily routine, picking up the school uniform to help Ritsu dressing up. “Don't fall asleep again!” He scolds, throwing the clothes directly at Ritsu when he sees that the boy is once again falling asleep even if he's sitting on the border of the bed, his foot touching the floor.

“Maa-kun meanie…” Ritsu mumbles a complain. 

This kind of routine, with Maa-kun barging into his room, dragging him, making a fuss and being noisy… if he thinks about it, it's a little annoying. He doesn't understand how after so many years, he's still willing to deal and take care of someone like him.

Not like he complains about that. He loves being spoiled by his Maa-kun.

But if Maa-kun understood how he felt, he would let him stay in bed, sleep… Maybe even join him, instead of forcing him to do things he would rather not, saying encouraging words that Ritsu doesn't really feel that apply to him.

When he opens his eyes again, Maa-kun is once again the first thing he sees, ready to help him change his clothes.

“Come on, raise your arms.” Maa-kun orders him, gesturing with his hands before grabbing the end of Ritsu's pyjama’s shirt. 

Ritsu obeys, slowly and unmotivated raising his arms.

“One, two and… Banzai~!” Maa-kun says cheerfully while pulling off Ritsu's shirt, the same way as you would talk to a small child.

“...zai…” Ritsu tries to keep the rhythm with Maa-kun, but he can't and he sees a smile appearing on his childhood friend's lips. He isn't sure if it's because Maa-kun is happy that he's finally awake and reacting or because his slow reactions are funny.

But Ritsu just can't keep up with him. Maa-kun is too energetic, too bright, sometimes it even hurts to look directly at him… And he's sure, that Maa-kun is the reason he can't care less about the sun. Because for Ritsu, there's nothing that shines more than Maa-kun, and no matter how long ago the day started for the rest of the world, without Maa-kun his day hasn't really started.

He has gotten so used to it, for Maa-kun to be the very first thing he sees in the morning that it's almost impossible for him to think that the day has started if Maa-kun isn't around, just like when people wake up in the middle of the night and don't know what to do until morning arrives. 

That's why he doesn't need anything else but Maa-kun to start his day. Maa-kun is his sun. Bright, energetic and annoying, but at the same time warm and an existence he can't live without.

Mao helps Ritsu putting on his shirt, making sure that he won't fall asleep again. Though, more than helping he's actually dressing up Ritsu all by himself. All the other boy does is just obey Mao's commands -- _ lift your arms, now put them down, don't close your eyes _ \-- while Mao does everything, even buttoning up the shirt for him.

Ritsu can't help but put his arms around Mao when he finishes buttoning his shirt, resting his head on Maa-kun’s shoulder and closing his eyes once again.

“Ritsu!” Maa-kun complains, moving to get rid of Ritsu's grip but failing. “Don't fall asleep!” He orders, smacking his head softly to make sure that Ritsu really doesn't fall asleep.

Ritsu grunts. Doesn't Maa-kun understand that he has done a great effort already? He definitely deserves a rest…

He buries his face on the space between Maa-kun's shoulder and neck, nuzzling his nose against it. He feels Maa-kun shiver with the touch and he smiles.

“Ritsu, come on…!” He sighs at the end, feeling Ritsu still nuzzling against him. It's not a bad feeling, he could even admit that he likes it but… Now isn't the moment. “Isn't there anything that could wake you up…?” Mao asks, knowing that the answer is definitely no. After all, after so many years, if there was a way that could help Ritsu being more active during the mornings, he would have discovered it long ago.

“Hmm,” still, Ritsu seems to have taken the question seriously, trying to find an answer. “Let me suck your blood~?” He says with a childlike innocence, playfully and with that voice that he uses whenever he wants Mao to do something for him.

But Mao's answer is immediate and blunt.

“Not that.” 

“Meanie…” Ritsu sulks, obviously faking being more upset than he actually is. He already anticipated this outcome after all.

But the sulking seems to have an effect on Maa-kun.

“It's just…” Mao seems to have trouble finding the words, which make Ritsu feel a little guilty for making him go through this situation.

Even if he loves to tease Maa-kun, he knows that this topic is a delicate one, after what happened when they were kids.

“I know, I know.” Ritsu's voice sounds caring and understanding, something quite unusual in him and for a second Mao wonders if Ritsu is still mocking him. “Maa-kun hates sharp objects, right?” 

“Yeah…” Maa-kun replies. “That's it.” He affirms once again, trying to make sure that Ritsu won't discover that he hasn't tought about the fact that Ritsu's fangs are sharp.

The reason he had actually denied Ritsu to drink his blood was because the first thing he thought was that he didn't want people to see the marks that Ritsu would leave on his neck, as that could give them the impression that they had done something completely different…

Wait.

Why was he thinking about that possibility in the first place?

Ritsu and Mao are childhood friends. That's it, there's nothing more. Even if Ritsu clings to him, kisses his neck and constantly tells him --actually, they both tell each other-- that he wants to stay by his side forever… that's something completely normal, right?

“Hey, Maa-kun,” Ritsu breathes directly against Mao's skin, so warm, and the skin that is touching directly against him --Mao is sure that what he's feeling on his neck is Ritsu's lips, he already knows how do they feel so there's no doubt-- brushes gently, giving him a small ticklish reaction that Mao tries to repress as much as possible. The last thing he needs is for Ritsu to start teasing him with that too.

Actually, just having him like this feels enough of a tease. It feels weird, incredibly so and he doesn't even understand why, Ritsu has done this kind of thing since… Always, so the way he feels now… he's sure that the weird thought he had earlier is the one to blame.

“I just remembered…” a sleepy mumble leaves his mouth and Mao still doesn't move, suddenly feeling too awkward to do so, not even knowing where to place his hands while Ritsu is still clinging to him. “Once you woke me up… Without having to go through all this…” the words are followed with a yawn, meaning that the risk of Ritsu falling asleep right now and fight here just keep increasing.

“For real!?” Mao asks maybe a little too bluntly, maybe a little too loud too considering that Ritsu has grunted in return. “How did I do that?” He asks, suddenly forgetting about the awkward feeling because  _ this  _ is definitely a bigger priority. If he manages to wake up Ritsu without going through all the hassle of being dragged into bed, having to change his clothes and carrying him all the way to school… He definitely would have less things to worry about.

“Don't wanna tell…” Ritsu replies, warm breath brushing against Mao's skin once again and burying his face again against his shoulder.

“Ritchan…” Mao begs, and it must be the effect that the nickname has on him because Mao could swear that he hears Ritsu's brain starting to work to consider if it would be beneficial for him to let his Maa-kun know about  _ that. _

“Maa-kun should remember it himself…” Ritsu says in a whisper, loud enough for only Mao to be able to hear.

“Please Ritchan, tell me…” Mao begs once again, knowing that if he continues using his nickname, begging, Ritsu won't take long to give in. “Ritchan…?”

“Even if you're just Maa-kun…” Ritsu finally says, annoyed and finally moving his head so he can see Mao face to face. He doesn't release him from his grip though, still having his arms wrapped around Maa-kun. “We had watched a movie a few days before,” he begins to explain, “I don't remember well the plot… there was something about a witch and an apple…” he continues, trying to remember more things but failing and Mao smiles, he's sure that the reason Ritsu can't remember more things is because he fell asleep while watching the movie. And in any case, those two things are enough to make him know which movie is Ritsu talking about and… “the main character fell asleep after eating the apple…” Mao has the feeling that he knows what's the method Ritsu said he used to wake him up.

“...And the Prince managed to make her wake up after kissing her.” Mao finishes the explanation.

Ritsu smiles at him, proudly.

“So you do remember the movie~” he says, almost praising him.

“Still… why is that important? You were going to tell me how did I wake you up…” Maa-kun doesn't dare to look directly at Ritsu while saying that. He has the feeling that he knows, but he doesn't want to jump too quickly to conclusions…

“Isn't it obvious~?” Ritsu looks like he's having far more fun with this than he should. “I was sleeping and…” He takes Maa-kun’s face with one of his hands, forcing him to look at him when he says the next sentence, “you were my prince.” He says, and even if Mao knows that Ritsu is teasing him, the words sound too serious for his ears.

Or maybe he just wants them to sound serious.

“I… kissed you.” it's not even a question, it's an affirmation and Mao is surprised at himself for being able to stare directly at Ritsu's eyes while he says that.

Ritsu's smile is still there, proud yet playful.

“That's it~” he confirms as he sees how Maa-kun's cheeks become more and more red by each second. “Maa-kun was like the prince who released me from the curse that was placed in me~” he continues teasing, moving his face even closer to Maa-kun's. 

“We were just kids!” Maa-kun says flustered and Ritsu can't help but think about how cute he looks like this.

“Maa-kun…” Ritsu's smile disappears as it's replaced with a pout. “Does that mean you don't want to be my prince anymore?” He asks sulking but the question is so ridiculous that he hopes Mao understands that he's joking. 

Mostly.

He might be sulking a little for real because Maa-kun’s reaction was way more negative than he would like.

Maa-kun opens his mouth, his voice shaking a little as he speaks but still not looking away from Ritchan. How brave of him considering how embarrassing the question he has made is.

“Does that mean you want me to kiss you?” He has asked, the words echoing on Ritchan’s ears as he still doesn't believe that Maa-kun has really said that.

Maa-kun still doesn't look away, his face still red but his eyes showing a kind of determination that Ritsu had never seen before. He isn't even sure, if the question was meant to be taken seriously or not.

But in the end, Ritsu laughs as he places his head once again on Maa-kun's shoulder.

“Maa-kun, you're being too serious~” Ritsu speaks, his breath once again brushing gently against Maa-kun's skin. “It's not a big deal, after all I already kiss you a lot~” he presses his lips against Maa-kun's neck as he says that, placing small kisses one after another. “Kiss, kiss~” he says playfully.

“I get it, I get it!” Maa-kun shouts finally making Ritsu stop, getting rid of his grip too. “We are going to arrive late at this rate!” He scolds him, changing the subject abruptly.

Ritsu pouts when he's separated from Maa-kun's warmth. 

“But Maa-kun…”

“No buts!” He interrupts and Ritsu can see that his face is still red. Is that because of the kisses? Maa-kun never reacted to them that way… “I'll go get something for breakfast for you.” He informs, walking away towards the kitchen as he leaves Ritsu to finish changing himself, not really having hope that when he goes back to the bedroom he'll find him awake.

  
But for some reason, while he walks towards the kitchen with his heart beating faster than it ever did, he finds himself feeling a little upset because for some reason, he had hoped that when he asked Ritsu if he wanted him to kiss him, he didn't tell him yes.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! How is everyone doing! It's been over a year!
> 
> Well, lately I have been trying to focus only on long projects like The Sound Of Magic (Please check it if you have time!) so the short stories got a bit forgotten, plus I didn't really have inspiration for them, hah...
> 
> But oh well, what's Vday without ritsumao! So we are back here with a short story about Ritsu and Mao during their middle school days, please enjoy!
> 
> As always, I'm sorry for the sudden end and that it's not really proofreaded lol

 

“Hey, Maa-kun.” Ritsu calls his name as soon as he reaches his locker, stopping Mao from continuing walking to his own. But even if he has called Mao’s name, he isn’t looking at him but at the small box that has his name written in it. “Have you ever written a love letter?” He asks, his voice sounding just as lethargic as always, making it sound as if he wasn’t giving it importance to the question.

“Where did that come from?” Mao asks back, turning back to face him, frowning, not understanding why would Ritsu asks something like that.

Just by his reaction alone, Ritsu can guess that Mao hasn’t written any, something that doesn’t surprise him much knowing that Maa-kun is completely clueless when it comes to love matters.

“I have the feeling that when I open this,” Ritsu starts speaking as he moves his arm in a lazy motion, pointing at the locker, “there will be a love letter inside.” He says, smiling in a way that somehow irritates Mao, as if he were trying to show-off something.

“I still don’t understand why would that involve me.” Mao answers, slow, very slow when it comes to anything related to romantic relationships, just as always.

“I was hoping that you were the one who put it in there.” Ritsu’s voice sounds more sincere than Mao has heard him in a long while, contrary to when he’s being teased, contrary to when he wants to be spoiled and starts trying to get Mao to do everything he wants. Yet, his words also leave a bitter aftertaste, making Mao feel that he has been stabbed somehow, realizing the sadness, the disappointment in them.

For a second Mao actually believes him. For a second, in the back of his mind, a thought so unconscious that he doesn’t even realize he has thought it, he wishes he had been the one writing down his feelings for Ritsu and leaving them in the locker, waiting for him to read them.

“It wasn’t me.” Is what he speaks, bluntly, the logical side of his mind telling him that if he ever did that it would be nothing but weird, that since they are both guys, childhood friends that have known each other for so long, developing other feelings would be nothing but strange.

“I know.” Ritsu says, his voice returning to his usual lethargic, sleepy tone. “Maa-kun is so dense that he wouldn’t even realize he has a crush on someone~” He adds, this time more cheerfully as he teases Mao, getting closer to his locker and finally placing his hand on it.

He doesn’t open it yet though, not looking forward to the image that awaits him.

What’s the point of receiving a love letter if it isn’t from the person he wants it the most.

“I would realize it if I had a crush on someone…” Mao argues, but he doesn’t sound too sure of himself, realizing that in his short life, he doesn’t think he has yet experienced the feeling of being in love.

He realizes that Ritsu still hasn’t opened his locker, frozen while frowning as he looks at his nameplate, an expression that Mao rarely has seen on the older boy.

“Hey, Maa-kun.” He calls once again, looking at him this time, smiling once again as if he was panning something. “For every love letter there is, let me sleep 5 minutes more tomorrow~” He proposes, cheerfully, being completely sure that he will find more than one inside the locker.

“What do I gain from letting you that?” Mao complains, not wanting to let Ritsu get away with his plan. “Besides, ‘for every love letter’? Aren’t you being cheeky thinking that there will be more than one?” He asks, crossing his arms while thinking that Ritsu is definitely thinking too highly of himself.

“There’s going to be more than one.” Ritsu affirms in a whisper, but contrary to what any other boy his age would feel upon receiving so many love confessions, he sounds bothered by it, maybe even upset.

And when he opens the locker, his suspicions get affirmed, finding not only a fair amount of love letters, but small bags that the scent immediately make Ritsu guess that it’s chocolate.

He takes the letters, ignoring the sweets, and starts counting them, in front of Mao whose eyes have opened like plates, observing him in awe.

“That makes it 35 minutes that I can sleep~” He says cheerfully, showing all seven letters to Mao.

“Wai- what?” Mao gets closer, making sure that the letters are addressed to Ritsu, that he didn’t write them himself --he doesn’t open them though, even if he wants to make sure that Ritsu didn’t plan all this to mess with him, he wants to respect the privacy of the sender.-- “How did you get so many? Your personality isn’t  _ that _ likeable!” Mao says bluntly, not realizing the rudeness that his words carry with them.

Ritsu tries to convince himself that that’s one of Maa-kun’s charms, but in moments like these, when his words are so blunt, it’s hard to believe.

“I have a nice face, and since I don’t talk much I have a cool guy vibe~” Ritsu explains in a way that makes Mao think he must be joking.

“Aren’t you praising yourself too much?” Mao retorts, smiling as he hears Ritsu’s words, knowing that even if he’s mostly joking, he isn’t saying anything untrue. “I guess that girls like that kind of thing…” He says as he returns the letters to Ritsu.

“They aren’t all girls.” Ritsu replies plainly, putting the letters back in the locker without bothering to check the contents. 

He doesn’t plan in returning anyone’s feelings, at least not from the people that wrote to him, so there’s no need to check them.

Reading about people who love him and that he can’t return their feelings will only make him feel worse.

“They aren’t all girls?” Mao repeats Ritsu’s words, not seeming to understand what he meant by it. “Who else would send you a love letter?” He asks, and Ritsu is amazed at how little thought Mao must have put into romantic matters if he doesn’t understand that girls aren’t the only ones that fall in love with boys.

Ritsu doesn’t say anything and simply stares at him, wondering if he should let him be or explain the situation.

“Oh.” Fortunately, it looks that even if it’s slowly, he’s starting to understand the situation. “But why would a boy… That’s…”

“Weird?” Ritsu asks, finishing Mao’s sentence before he can do it himself, too scared to hear it from Mao’s lips.

If he heard Maa-kun say something like that, he would probably crumble.

But contrary to what he thought, Mao shakes his head.

“Risky…” He says instead, and this time Ritsu is the one who doesn’t really understand what does Mao mean by that. “If rumours spread because of something like that… If it were me, I wouldn’t like it…” Mao explains, looking away from Ritsu for some reason.

Ritsu hums, not wanting to give it much thought to the fact that Mao seems to actually be considering the idea of someday being rumours about him.

“There already are some about me, I think.” Ritsu admits, plainly, as if it was something that didn’t have any kind of importance.

“huh!?” Mao raises his head to look back at Ritsu, once again his eyes open incredibly wide.

“Some time ago, a girl confessed to me after class… I rejected her, and after that some boys started confessing to me too…” He explains, using as less words as possible, making Mao feel that he doesn’t really get the picture of the situation.

“When I ask you ‘how did your day go?’ you could tell me about this kind of stuff, you know?” He asks, frowning, making Ritsu have to hold his laugh because he finds it funny that the thing that bothers him is that rather than being confessed by both genders, he didn’t tell Mao about it.

“Could it be that Maa-kun is jealous~?” He asks teasingly.

“Why would I be jealous… I don’t feel like confessing to you.” 

“No, I didn’t mean that part…” Ritsu says as he blinks twice, trying to register what Mao has just said, his mind starting to wonder if he had any hidden meaning in those words, if he doesn’t want to confess because he doesn’t feel that way towards him or because he simply doesn’t think it’s the best moment now.

“Ah…” Mao seems to have realized what he meant, and his face starts turning into a shade of red. “I don’t have a crush on anyone… So being confessed would be troublesome…” He starts speaking, changing the topic before Ritsu can start teasing him, something that he stopped just in time as he sees that Ritsu had already opened his mouth to speak, but fortunately, Mao was faster than him. “It would leave me with a bad feeling, having to reject someone…” He continues explaining,, successfully having changed the topic.

Ritsu hums, observing him, trying to not let his words affect him much.

“Why wouldn’t you date anyone who confessed to you?” He asks, something inside of his mind regretting it immediately, knowing that he’s only going to be confirmed that Mao doesn’t return his feelings, that he will never be more than just his childhood friend.

Sometimes being his childhood friend feels like it’s enough, like if things don’t change he will be able to stay by his side forever, no matter what.

Sometimes it feels like a heavy chain that won’t let him be free, that won’t let him move forward and change the relationship to something that he desires even more than just staying by his side.

“Wouldn’t you get jealous if I started paying attention to someone other than you?” Mao asks, with a troubled smile on his face, but the way his voice sounds makes it clear that just like always, even if he complains about it, he loves taking care of his spoiled childhood friend.

And  sometimes, like today, it feels like those chains are set loose, so loose that they let him breathe properly and even dream about the possibility of something happening, but stopping him right before he dares to walk that step forward.

“Does that mean that Maa-kun won’t date anyone because he’s already dating me~?” He asks, teasingly, taking the inside-door shoes from the locker and not daring to look at Mao while he speaks. He hopes that by that he manages to take away importance from the words that he has said, that Mao will really believe that he’s just joking.

“You are definitely more difficult to deal with than a girlfriend.” Mao jokes back at him, heading to his own locker now and stopping when he sees his nameplate. “How did you know that you would find love letters in your locker though?” He asks, curious, realizing that Ritsu never gave him that kind of explanation.

The reply he gets is a loud sigh from the older boy, making him frown.

“Maa-kun, you should at least know what day it is today.” Ritsu tells him, sounding like he’s scolding him, making Mao somehow angry.

A day in which receiving love letters could be considered something normal.

“Valentines? It’s today?” He asks surprised, not believing himself that he managed to forget about a date like that. He suddenly gets nervous while standing in front of his locker, thinking that even if he doesn’t really want to date anyone, he can’t deny that he would be happy if he received at least one. Specially after seeing that Ritsu received  _ seven  _ of them just by sleeping in class. 

“Maybe I should had written something for Maa-kun, to make sure that you won’t get upset when you see that you don’t have any~” Ritsu continues teasing him, standing behind him as if he wants to see the moment in which Mao opens his locker and finds nothing other than his inside shoes.

“That wouldn’t make me happy at all…” He replies, though his words don’t sound as convincing as he intended them to be. “Besides, we still don’t know if there isn’t any…” He adds, knowing that it’s better if he doesn’t have his hopes up, but he can’t help but hope.

“Maa-kun, did you receive any last year?” Ritsu asks, genuinely curious as he can’t recall Mao receiving something like that.

He’s sure that if someone had confessed their feelings for Maa-kun, his Maa-kun, he would have destroyed that rival already.

“I did…” Mao says, so softly that it’s almost a whisper.

“You did?” Ritsu repeats, but unlike Mao, he sounds incredibly annoyed by it.

“A girl from class gave me one…” He starts explaining, though his voice doesn’t show the enthusiasm that usually would have while telling this kind of story. “She said ‘please give it to Sakuma-senpai since you are close to him!’...” He adds then, already regretting that he has told that to Ritsu.

He regrets it even more when his childhood friend starts laughing.

“But Maa-kun, I never received that letter~?” Ritsu says, very obviously aware of what happened.

There’s no way Mao could have forgotten about it, which means that he purposefully hid it away from Ritsu.

Or at least that’s what he thought, that Mao would feel jealous or scared that someone tried to take Ritsu away from him and thus, did everything he could to avoid that.

But reality isn’t as nice as he would like.

“I told her that she should give it to you herself…” Ritsu sighs when he hears that, of course that Mao would never do something as dishonest as tossing someone’s feelings away. “I wonder if she’s one of the senders of those seven letters…” He whispers then, and almost as if that conversation had made him forget all his nervousness, he finally opens his locker.

And inside of it, three pieces of paper were waiting for him.

Ritsu frowns as soon as he sees them, reacting faster than Mao and being the one who takes them away. 

“Huh, I guess I don’t need to write any love letter to cheer you up~” He teases, hiding the ugly feelings of jealousy and anger that are growing inside him, counting the letters and saying that there are three indeed. “Maa-kun seems to be really popular~” He adds, this time noticing that the handwriting, the pink envelopes, the cute stickers in all three of them mean that the senders are all girls.

“I don’t want to hear that from someone who received twice as much as me.” Mao complains, his cheeks showing an obvious red colour as he takes the letters away from Ritsu.

“Twice as much would be six. I received  _ seven _ ~” Ritsu says, obviously mocking him.

“You seriously piss me off.” Mao complains, glaring at him, but the way his face still hasn’t gotten rid of the red shade makes him look way less threatening than he probably intended.

He leaves the letters inside the locker, still not checking the content, something that surprises Ritsu and then he gets changed into his indoors shoes.

“You won’t read them?” Ritsu asks, for once sounding like he really is concerned about it.

“You didn’t read them either.” Mao answers, noticing that there’s also some chocolate along inside of the small box. “I should return these…” He tells himself, realizing for that he will need to open the letters to know who sent each one, but for now, he simply closes the locker, thinking that he will deal with it later. “After all, if I want something sweet, I can always ask you to bake something for me.” Mao says with a smile as dazzling as the sun itself, making Ritsu feel that he might go blind if he stares at it for too long, but at the same time, feeling that it’s contagious and before he realizes it, he’s smiling as well.

And Ritsu thinks that it doesn’t matter how many love letters he receives, how much other people try to catch a glimpse of his heart. After all, it’s been too long since the day his heart stopped belonging to him and belongs to Mao instead.

 


End file.
